Audio: Latin American Showcase Set for July 10-11 in Guatemala
Published: Jul 01, 2013
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Now in its third year, the U.S. Meat Export Federation’s (USMEF) Latin American Showcase has quickly blossomed into an extremely productive and successful event for exporters of U.S. beef, pork and lamb. This year’s showcase is set for July 10-11 in Antigua, Guatemala, with 33 U.S. meat companies scheduled to exhibit products.
But as Gerardo Rodriguez, USMEF director of trade development for Central America and the Dominican Republic explains, this event is far more than just a trade show. Over these two days, representatives from U.S. companies will have opportunities for detailed, one-on-one business meetings with 50 buyers from 10 different Latin American markets: Belize, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama and Peru.
Rodriguez adds that interest in the showcase continues to grow from both buyers and exporters. Word spread quickly throughout the industry about the success of the 2011 event held in Panama City, and the following year in Bogota, Colombia. Exhibition space for this year’s event has nearly doubled from 2012.
From 2009 to 2012, U.S. beef exports to the Central and South America region soared from $25 million to $134 million. Pork exports increased from $100 million to $228 million during the same period. Tariffs and other trade barriers have been greatly reduced over the past few years, allowing the U.S. meat industry to better serve this region’s growing middle class and its rapidly expanding retail and foodservice sectors. The Latin American Showcase allows USMEF member companies to more fully capitalize on these opportunities, and for U.S. livestock producers to realize the benefits of these growing markets.
Transcript:
JOE SCHUELE: In this U.S. Meat Export Federation report we focus on the USMEF Latin American showcase, which in just three years has blossomed into an extremely productive and successful event for exporters of U.S. beef, pork and lamb. This year’s showcase is set for July 10th and 11th in Antigua, Guatemala. Gerardo Rodriguez, USMEF director of trade development for Central America and the Dominican Republic, has more.
GERARDO RODRIGUEZ: This is the third edition we do of the Latin American Showcase; the first was in Panama, the second one in Columbia. This is the third one, which is in Antigua, Guatemala. This activity that will be taking place July 10th and what we are doing here, we are bringing importers from Central and South America, brand new companies are attending this activity, and as well we are extending the invitation to the people who are going to the first and the second. So we will have a really good numbers of importers in the region so this is a really good activity and moment that our members to get to see different companies going all the way from Guatemala, all the way to Chile, so it is a great activity that we can have one-on-one meetings with them.
JOE SCHUELE: Rodriguez adds that every year interest in the showcase continues to grow from both buyers and exporters because word spread quickly throughout the industry about the success of the 2011 and 2012 events. As a result, exhibition space has nearly doubled that of last year.
GERARDO RODRIGUEZ: It's been very successful and actually there are a lot of new imports due to these activity and this is because they have the opportunity to get to know new suppliers, the members get to know new buyers and importers in the region that it was a little bit out of the radar. So, I think this is a perfect scenario for the members to get, develop in the markets.
JOE SCHUELE: For more on this and other trade issues, please visit USMEF.org. For the U.S. Meat Export Federation, I’m Joe Schuele.
But as Gerardo Rodriguez, USMEF director of trade development for Central America and the Dominican Republic explains, this event is far more than just a trade show. Over these two days, representatives from U.S. companies will have opportunities for detailed, one-on-one business meetings with 50 buyers from 10 different Latin American markets: Belize, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama and Peru.
Rodriguez adds that interest in the showcase continues to grow from both buyers and exporters. Word spread quickly throughout the industry about the success of the 2011 event held in Panama City, and the following year in Bogota, Colombia. Exhibition space for this year’s event has nearly doubled from 2012.
From 2009 to 2012, U.S. beef exports to the Central and South America region soared from $25 million to $134 million. Pork exports increased from $100 million to $228 million during the same period. Tariffs and other trade barriers have been greatly reduced over the past few years, allowing the U.S. meat industry to better serve this region’s growing middle class and its rapidly expanding retail and foodservice sectors. The Latin American Showcase allows USMEF member companies to more fully capitalize on these opportunities, and for U.S. livestock producers to realize the benefits of these growing markets.
Transcript:
JOE SCHUELE: In this U.S. Meat Export Federation report we focus on the USMEF Latin American showcase, which in just three years has blossomed into an extremely productive and successful event for exporters of U.S. beef, pork and lamb. This year’s showcase is set for July 10th and 11th in Antigua, Guatemala. Gerardo Rodriguez, USMEF director of trade development for Central America and the Dominican Republic, has more.
GERARDO RODRIGUEZ: This is the third edition we do of the Latin American Showcase; the first was in Panama, the second one in Columbia. This is the third one, which is in Antigua, Guatemala. This activity that will be taking place July 10th and what we are doing here, we are bringing importers from Central and South America, brand new companies are attending this activity, and as well we are extending the invitation to the people who are going to the first and the second. So we will have a really good numbers of importers in the region so this is a really good activity and moment that our members to get to see different companies going all the way from Guatemala, all the way to Chile, so it is a great activity that we can have one-on-one meetings with them.
JOE SCHUELE: Rodriguez adds that every year interest in the showcase continues to grow from both buyers and exporters because word spread quickly throughout the industry about the success of the 2011 and 2012 events. As a result, exhibition space has nearly doubled that of last year.
GERARDO RODRIGUEZ: It's been very successful and actually there are a lot of new imports due to these activity and this is because they have the opportunity to get to know new suppliers, the members get to know new buyers and importers in the region that it was a little bit out of the radar. So, I think this is a perfect scenario for the members to get, develop in the markets.
JOE SCHUELE: For more on this and other trade issues, please visit USMEF.org. For the U.S. Meat Export Federation, I’m Joe Schuele.