Argentina analyzes blueberry opportunities in the Middle East

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – For the last two months, the Argentine Blueberry Committee (ABC) has been organizing together with the Argentine Foreign Ministry and its representations abroad a series of business rounds between local exporters and importers from different countries in the Middle East.

They affirmed that in two months, the Argentine Blueberry Committee, together with the Foreign Ministry, planned five business rounds, an incredible intensity for the “presentiality”. New operations to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, among other new markets, are being carried out.

These rounds will soon be joined by business contacts with buyers from Brazil and the United States. And a round for Southeast Asian countries is being planned.

The new communication modalities opened a critical opportunity for Argentine blueberry exporters: the possibility of reaching non-traditional markets that would have been more complex to reach without virtual platforms due to the characteristics of the market itself and the cultural features of the importers, they remarked.

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In the case of the rounds in the Middle East, producers from the Argentine Chamber of Integrated Cherry Producers (CAPCI) also participated, which will be added to the rounds with Brazil. The NEA citrus producers from CECNEA will also participate.

The search for new non-traditional markets is not whimsical -the ABC explained-, but is in line with the positioning strategy that the sector has been defining for some years: to reach markets that exclusively value triple impact production: flavor, quality, and sustainability. In this sense, they indicated that the Middle East and its culture and economy contain a well-defined Premium consumer market.

MIDDLE EAST

Carla Ginóbili, manager of ABC and responsible for coordinating the meetings, said that for this first virtual experience, countries were chosen where the market for Argentine blueberries was already open but not yet explored by exporters, “markets that are not typical but are starting with a developing demand with sectors of society with high purchasing power that have the potential to buy blueberries. These are niches that Argentina wants to target with its flavor and quality product.”

2021 is the first year of virtual rounds, and they have already taken place with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar. Others are being prepared with the United States, Brazil, and Southeast Asian countries.

Regarding the role of the State in the management, Ginóbili explained that “the organic and official contact with the State is something highly valued by importers, especially in Arab countries, because they feel supported by the fact that it is the government that is backing the activity.”

According to the Argentine representation abroad, another of the characteristics of Arab countries is that they seek to do business in the long term, they do not want one-off operations but consistent links over time.

Regarding the quality of the fruit, they value the sweet flavor and recognize that Argentina is in a latitude where you can get that sweetness in blueberries. They highly value the social and agricultural certifications, “for them, it is a guarantee,” they assured.

MARKETS

The potential market of the blueberry sector in the countries under the jurisdiction of the Embassy to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (which includes the Kingdom of Bahrain, Oman, and Yemen) is estimated at around 15 million dollars per year, with exports from Argentina still marginal.

As for the Arab Emirates, importers are very selective with exporters, they know in general, all the characteristics of the fruit and meetings have to be very expeditious. There is a very high purchasing power in that country and a gastronomic route where Premium products are highly sought after. It is a vast and very competitive market, “that is why the Embassy’s participation is key because otherwise, it is tough for customers to access such premium markets,” they said.

On the other hand, Qatar is a small market, and what they are looking for is quality above all.