The Aladi Expo 2017 will be held between October 18 and 20 in Santa Cruz. Bolivian companies Natur, AgroExport and Lacto will participate in the event
Natur dehydrated fruits; Latco Internacional oils, pasta, seeds and snacks; and AgroExport’s seeds, legumes and oils are some of the Bolivian foods that want to seduce external buyers who will participate in the Expo Aladi 2017 business macro-round. The event will take place between October 18 and 20 in Santa Cruz.
Ramiro Clavel, owner of Latco Internacional, a firm dedicated to the production of organic sesame and chia (about 2,000 tons per year), said that he hopes to do business with businessmen from Chile, Peru, Colombia, Argentina and Brazil.
The company three years ago began to produce value-added products such as extra virgin sesame and chia oil, sesame butter and nougat, which it seeks to sell abroad, as it exports organic sesame as raw material.
AgroExport, another company that markets chia and sesame (it also produces amaranth, beans and quinoa), will also participate in Expo Aladi. Its general manager, Mijail Loredo, said that Colombia, Venezuela and Peru are potential buyers of its products.
For five years, the company has been producing products such as extra virgin sesame oil under the Cabexse (Bolivian Chamber of Sesame Exporters) brand. He has just started selling chiquitana almonds.
For his part, Andre Napravnik, owner of Natur, ‘points’ to the markets of Peru, Chile and Argentina with his pineapples, sleeves, apples and dehydrated papayas in snack format (15-gram bags).
The firm is also negotiating its lyophilized acai (cold dehydrated fruit) with a client in Mexico and another in Colombia, and is analyzing the possibility of buying açaí pulp from Brazil. “We want to seize the moment and generate synergy with companies from neighboring countries,” said the businessman.
Important presence
Of the 300 members of the Chamber of Exporters, Logistics and Investment Promotion of Santa Cruz (Cadex), 100 will participate in Expo Aladi 2017.
“The sector that will have the most presence are food and textile products. There will also be plastics and technology services companies, ”explained José Alberti, executive of Cadex.
Around 400 companies are expected to participate from all over the country.
