Argentinian Officials Hold Dairy Trade Discussions With China
ARGENTINA – Government officials have met with figures from the Chinese dairy processing and retailing sectors to discuss the possibility of strengthening the trading relationship between the two countries.The notion of a bilateral dairy agreement was debated as part of an on-going tour of Argentina's food and farming industry by Ministers from the People’s Republic of China.
Alongside the Argentinian Agricultural Minister, Norberto Yuahar was the Dairy Undersecretary, Arturo Videla, who met with representatives from the large supermarket retailer, The Beijing Hualian Group and dairy processing giant, Yili Group.
“We work on the possibility of organising, with the support of Minister Yauhar, a series of dairy visits to allow face to face contact with the technicians and managers of Chinese firms,” said Mr Videla.
Argentinian trade negotiators are interested in business cooperation through locating domestic companies over in China, he added.
“We are interested in promoting the installation of Argentine companies in China, as well as investments in processing plants and packaging.”
This, Mr Yauhar stated, will ensure a long-term supply for the Chinese consumer.
In a bid to formalise these ideals, Mr Yauhar met with representatives of Inner Mongolia based Yili Group.
If Mr Yauhar is successfull this would offer Argentinian expansion into China, a market that currently buys 110,000 tonnes of milk powder and 20,000 tonnes of whey powder annually.
Of this, 50 per cent currently comes from New Zealand cooperative Fonterra. This, Argentinian politicians say, is not a 'diverse' supply and hopes China will let them be part of Chinese expansion.
TheCattleSite News Desk