MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentina: Positive assessment of trade mission to China

The Argentine delegation meeting with the Chinese envoys

The head of the Argentine Fisheries Subsecretariat, Norberto Yauhar, assures that the assessment of his recent trip to China was very positive, and that “the objective of the trade mission was reached and, in many cases, surpassed expectations.”

“The signing of the economic and technological cooperation agreement will allow us to accede to a very profitable market in full development through our sea products. We believe that the Argentine fisheries business will begin to collect in just a short time, far exceeding what was sowed on this trip,” the Subsecretary declared.

Also participating in this trade mission were the minister of Agrarian Affairs of Buenos Aires, Ariel Franetovich; the Buenos Aires representative before the Federal Fisheries Council (CFP), Horacio Tetamantti; and the National Director of Fisheries Coordination, Marcelo Santos.

Yauhar emphasised several axes of trip, among which he mentioned the definition of the details of the economic and technological collaboration agreement, which the ministries of Agriculture of both countries will sign in May, in Argentina.

One of the points in the agreement contemplates the authorisation of permits to Chinese vessels that fish outside the area adjacent to the Falklands Islands controlled by the British, which is outside mile 200.

“In no way will this opening to companies that have ties with the Falklands be included. The Chinese squid jigger fleet have not had permits for the Falklands in a very long time; that’s how we came up with a cooperation agreement,” Yauhar explained.Boats that enter national waters will only do so to unload and obtain provisions or carry out repairs. “We are not going to authorise new fishing permits, I want that to remain clear,” he asserted.

According to the subsecretary, the signing of the cooperation agreement will keep the Argentine ports active, and generate work for longshoremen who are having serious problems with a shortage in unloadings of the national fleet.

At this time foreign ships do not generate activity in the country, unlike in Uruguay, which is why Argentina wants ”to open that market of services,“he noted.

”The Chinese squid jigger fleet fishes only in international waters and our advantage would be to do it first outside mile 200 and later in national waters. It is a strategy that we are trying to apply with these competitors so that they are transformed into collaborators of our economy, at least in some Patagonian ports,” he continued explaining.

Another one of the goals of both governments is to open a new market for products that abound in the Argentine sea but are not targeted due to low yield.
Thanks to a tariff reduction, it would become a very good business for Argentine companies and a low cost alternative to feed more than 1.4 billion Chinese inhabitants.

“The tariff of the Asian market for some Argentine products is 25 per cent and we have put on the table the possibility of establishing a significant reduction, mainly of those sea products in which we are not seeing direct competition like the castaneta, red porgy and anchovy, which are in abundance in the south of the country and which we can fish, as we have an availability of 100,000 annual tonnes of which only 20,000 are fished. I consider it logical that that leftover can be fished and obtain a significant trade value offering our plants more work and our ports more activity,” Yauhar affirmed.

The last one of the axes consists of the need to re-equip the the Argentina Naval Prefecture, within the framework of the Argentine Sea Strategic Plan, with a multipurpose ship and patrolling boats to improve and boost the performance of the naval authority.

The investment would be made with funds from a Chinese bank, although the company China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (CSIC) was also consulted – one of the major conglomerates in naval construction in the Asian country – as were several shipyards located in the ports of Shanghai and Zhoushan. (FIS)