Ecuadorian SMEs promote themselves in a virtual business conference

Small and medium-sized Ecuadorian companies (SMEs ) exporting organic products participate from Monday 5 to Thursday 8 October, in the second edition of the Ecuador Bioexportador Global business conference , for the European market.

Ecuadorian SMEs promote themselves in a virtual business conference

More than 25 companies from Ecuador with buyers from Spain, France, Austria, Germany and Turkey participate in the virtual business round , who know more than 43 references in products such as cocoa, coffee, quinoa, guayusa, banana, amaranth, lupine and fruits Exotics presented in different formats (snacks, purees, dressings, preserves,  smoothies , infusions, etc.).

To participate, SMEs took training on topics such as adaptation of products to export markets, compliance with regulations and packaging and labeling , organic certification as a commercial tool in post-pandemic times, changes in international trade as a result of covid-19 , process of organic certification for value-added products , international contracts and preparation to negotiate with foreign buyers .

The organizers of the event scheduled open side events. In this way, the audience can interact with virtual tastings of Ecuadorian ECO products, such as chocolate and guayusa tea , which will have professionals from Spain and specialist producers from Ecuador.

Two showcookings will also take place  with the Ecuadorian chef Pancho Román, representative of this country in the regional final of the San Pellegrino Young Chef contest; and a forum with specialists on Organic Products, Health and Nutrition . The activities will be broadcast on the social networks of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) .

Participating in the presentation are the Ministers of Agriculture and Livestock, Xavier Lazo ; and Production, Iván Ontaneda ; as well as the Director General of IICA, Manuel Otero.

For Rodolfo Campos, IICA Representative in Ecuador , the activity is an example of the adaptation assumed by IICA in times of covid-19, putting the advantages offered by information and communication technologies in favor of small producers .

Bioexportador Global is an initiative of the National Association of Food and Beverage Manufacturers (Anfab) of Ecuador , IICA, the Ministry of Production through Proecuador , Agrocalidad , the Ministry of Agriculture and the Inter-American Commission for Organic Agriculture (CIAO) .

The first edition of the Global Bioexporter business conference was held in 2019 and focused on the German market. On that occasion, 15 companies strengthened their capacities to export, 36 products were validated for the organic, fair trade and gourmet niche, and a business conference was held with German buyers that generated a purchase intention of around $ 450,000.

Daniel Rodríguez, manager of IICA’s International Trade and Regional Integration Program, explained that international trade in agri-food products plays an important role in food security and in the economic recovery from COVID-19.

In recent months, the Institute has promoted the development of virtual business rounds and capacity-building processes for exporting, so that companies in the agri-food sector take advantage of the opportunities generated by trade agreements and integration processes. (I)