Six members of Agragex visit Cuba and Guatemala in trade delegation

• From the 16th to the 20th of March, the Association will hold meeting in both Latin-American countries with local distributors and importers.

• The aim of the companies is to know first-hand the special features of both markets and to strengthen commercial bonds.

The Spanish Association of Manufacturers-Exporters of Agricultural Machinery and its Components, Greenhouses and Crop Protection, Irrigation Systems, Livestock Equipment, Nutrition and Animal Health, Forestry Machinery, Biomass and Post-Harvesting Equipment (AGRAGEX) has organized a trade delegation to Cuba and Guatemala from the 16th to the 20th of March in which will participate six Spanish companies member of AGRAGEX.

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Specifically, the delegation consists of the following companies:HEFE Fertilizer, AGRATOR, Antonio Tarazona, Grupo Chamartín, Químicas Meristem and DEX Ibérica.

The main goals set by Agragex are to know first-hand these local markets and to promote the Spanish offer between the local companies. Moreover, in La Habana, the six members of AGRAGEX who participate in the trade delegation will visit the Feria Internacional AgroindustrialAlimentaria FIAGROP.

“For us Latin America is a priority and Central America is a compulsory travel every year. We are aware of the complicated situation of Cuba. In the last years the main reason of the economic situation in Cuba seems to be the crisis in Venezuela, since Cuba economically depends to a great extent on Venezuela” states the foreign trade technician Juan Bernuy. “However, from AGRAGEX we have been following closely some public tenders and we consider interesting to stay in the market in spite of the difficulties”.

Specifically, agriculture and livestock contribute a 3,7% to the Cuban GDP, although both sector suppose almost the 18% of the employed population. Because of this special features, and that the primary sector can´t satisfy the national demand, Cuba needs to import almost a 70% of the food that consume the population.

In the same way, during the visit to Guatemala, the Spanish companies pretend to consolidate its position it these markets and strengthen the commercial bonds with local distributors and importers.

According to the last statistics of the Banco de Guatemala band the primary sector, which includes agriculture, livestock, hunting, forestry and fishing, supposed in 2018 the 13,4% of the total GDP of the country, what it suppose an increase of 2,6% with respect to the 2017. “Guatemala is a market where the Spanish technology in the agricultural sector has a good image” states Bernuy.

A growing region for Spanish companies

Grupo Chamartín S.A., one of the companies that we will participate in the trade delegation, consider that this activity will allow them to “know better both markets” and “create commercial bond with new distributors”. Both Cuba and Guatemala are “importers of our products”, details the company.

On their behalf, DEX Ibérica claims that this business travel will allow them to establish direct contact with local distributors and imports of both countries of vegetarian products, with the aim of designate a new distributor. All of that, within the framework of a strategy of strengthen the position of DEX in the Latino American market.

“We consider Guatemala an important country in Central America, being the country with the largest production in the region. Because of this reason, it is important for DEX be able to strengthen our presence in Central America through the designation of a new distributor in this Central American country”, explains from DEX Ibérica.

Along these lines, the company Meristem appoints that the aim of this trade delegation is to know first-hand what is the agricultural situation in Guatemala just as the different importers of agricultural products and try to start a long-lasting commercial relationship with some of these distributors.

“In Guatemala, agriculture plays an important role and we believe that our catalogue of bio stimulants products, very technical and clearly verified, will fit perfectly in this agriculture that is in full swing”, states from Meristem.