The Export Promotion Agency works to drive the development of the business sector in the region by conducting different activities such as technical visits to SMEs, inward missions and the participation of companies in national and international fairs, among others.

Carlos Barbero of the Chamber of Foreign Trade of San Francisco and the Region and member of the board of directors of ProCórdoba Agency explained, "ProCórdoba conducts custom-made work, adapting its services to the needs of the SMEs in the region. The most prominent event this year was the 13th edition of the Inward Mission for the Hardware, Machinery, Tools, and Building Materials industries. Through the Agency, the mission welcomed seven Latin American operators from Bolivia, Chile, Mexico and Peru. Among the participants were 23 companies from the region, who held meetings with foreign entrepreneurs."

Barbero added, "Visitors were positively surprised by the quality and production capacity offered by the region. For their part, businesspeople from San Francisco have expressed their gratefulness and expect to close deals on the next inward mission."

Another activity worth noting this year was the "International Business Round on Equipment, Supplies and Services in the Dairy Chain". The round was organized together with the Chamber of Foreign Trade of San Francisco and the Region, the Argentine Investment and Trade Promotion Agency (in Spanish, AAICI), the Federal Investment Council (in Spanish, CFI), Santa Fe Global (the Santa Fe Investment and Foreign Trade Agency), and the Argentine Chamber of Manufacturers and Providers of Equipment, Supplies and Services for the Dairy Chain (in Spanish, CAFyPEL). At the event there participated international similar institutions from Latin American countries (Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Peru and Uruguay) interested in contacting Argentine companies that provide items for primary production and milk processing. The business rounds between national and foreign companies were held at El Trébol and Rafaela in the Province of Santa Fe, and at the Industrial Hub in the City of San Francisco.

It should be noted that San Francisco City in the department of San Justo, is characterized by being a metallurgical area which, with time, has added new sectors such as the wood, dairy and food industries in general, as well the IT sector, and which is striving to develop its export activity. To help sectors do this, ProCórdoba offers SMEs the chance to register on the Córdoba Exporters platform, a free and public access directory that contains information about over 1800 export firms and companies with a potential for export from the Province of Córdoba. More than 170 companies from the San Justo region are registered on the directory. CLICK HERE to see the full list.

Expectations for 2020

"Companies have a renewed enthusiasm, despite the local circumstances. We are seeing the world as the market to strive for. The work to be done is for the long term, and we are willing to keep up the efforts to close deals with international clients," concluded Barbero.