During the day held at Monticello Grand Casino, this international meeting was attended by prominent speakers, including former Ministers of Agriculture María Emilia Undurraga, Carlos Furche and Antonio Walker.
Nurseries of Chile (AGV) He made the seventh Agrotrade Chile International Convention and Fair, an event that returned with force in its face-to-face format in the vicinity of Santiago and in which major topics of interest to the agricultural sector were presented.
The activity, which took place throughout the day on October 26, emphasized the challenges of agriculture in the changing global scenario and the new trends in varietal replacement in the cultivation of fruit trees, among others.
Innovation, efficiency and sustainability
He President of Nurseries of Chile, Cristian Pichuante, At the start of the event, he called on people to be protagonists in the agricultural sector, where the plant comes first, being at the beginning of the chain, and to address the challenges of coping with climate change, as well as efficiently managing cost structures.. “These last few seasons have undoubtedly been difficult for many of us, but as a trade we are very aware of the responsibility to proactively address these challenges and continue improving our products and processes, in response to market demands,” he added. “Innovation and efficiency are key elements for the present and the future. Another very important challenge that we must face and work on is sustainability and efficiency in resources and producing under conditions that are friendlier to the planet and its communities. Climate change is a reality that we are living. The future of the new generations depends on our actions today,” said Pichuante, who added the importance of being socially responsible. “Improving the quality of life of our collaborators, our neighbors, the agricultural communities. Being kinder, more supportive and empathetic. We must all contribute in this direction.”
Food security or sovereignty?
Indeed, this meeting brought together important leaders and representatives of agricultural activity, including former agriculture ministers María Emilia Undurraga (second government of Sebastián Piñera) and Carlos Furche (second government of Michelle Bachelet), who participated in the round table “Challenges of agriculture in the changing global scenario”, together with Jorge Valenzuela, president of Fedefruta. In a relaxed dialogue, led by journalist Francisco Contardo, both former ministers expressed their opposition to the concept of “food sovereignty”, in the understanding that it tends to discriminate between types of agriculture and to want the State to direct what and how it is grown. Both did strongly value the fact that “food security” is being talked about.
The president of Fedefruta, for his part, called attention to the complicated situation in ports, where fruit can wait weeks before being unloaded, giving preference to metal, which is not perishable. In this regard, María Emilia Undurraga considered that, in order to be heard more by the authorities and public opinion and thus have more weight as a sector, it is necessary to stop talking about this or that being needed in “benefit of the agricultural sector”, forgetting that “The profit is for feeding our families and the families of the world.” At the same time, he highlighted the importance of cooperation between the various actors involved.
These representatives were joined by national and international exhibitors and stands, such as nurserymen, suppliers of inputs, services and technologies for agriculture. To give context to the event, the beginning of the presentations was marked by an interesting presentation on the current situation of the financial market and the logistics crisis, made by Cristián Cerna, Executive Director of Alta Dirección Capital, which was especially appreciated by the attendees, who highlighted its clarity and usefulness.
“Agrotrade is always a special occasion for our nurserymen. Today we had the privilege of having top-level guests, very relevant to the agricultural sector. It was an excellent opportunity to meet again and talk about such important issues as the great challenges we face due to climate change, the global economic and logistical contingency and many other factors that affect our activity in one way or another, including more than ever the need to communicate more effectively and accurately from the different areas of action, our important role as the basis of food for Chile and the world.” added the General Manager of Nurseries of Chile, Maritrini Lapuente.
The meeting continued with the panel discussion “Making the table grape business viable”, together with Vicente Valdivieso, president of the Aconcagua Farmers Association; Rafael Jordán, table grape producer, partner and general manager of Agrícola Chacabuco and Francisco Amar, production manager of Exportadora Santa Elena. The moderation was provided by the vice president of the College of Agricultural Engineers of Chile, Álvaro Seguel.
During the afternoon, the seventh version of Agrotrade Chile continued with the discussion panels “New fruit farming revolution: varietal replacement as part of the solution”, presented by Samuel Escalante, executive director of Viveros El Tambo; Rodrigo Cruzat, general manager of Biofrutales; Antonio Walker, former minister of agriculture and fruit grower; and moderated by Cristián Bornscheuer, managing partner at Novaplant and “Lights, shadows and opportunities for our fruit exports”, together with Rodrigo Astete, Agricultural and Livestock Service; Carolina Dosal, President of Fruséptima and Director of Umagro and Miguel Canala-Echeverria, General Manager of ASOEX.
Viveros de Chile described the event as a success, not only because of the large turnout, but also because of the topics covered, the quality of the exhibitors and the feedback from attendees.
