South American entrepreneurs meeting in the department of Santa Cruz, Bolivia, are concluding a round of talks dedicated to promoting opportunities in chained production and exporting to Latin American and Caribbean markets.

La Paz.- Starting on Tuesday, some ninety companies are taking part in the 12th Meeting of Andean Entrepreneurs, which brings together representatives from the business sector of Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru, in addition to small and mid-sized companies from Brazil, Chile, Guatemala, Panamá and Puerto Rico.

Benjamín Blanco, Deputy Minister of Foreign Trade and Integration of Bolivia, in representation of the Pro-Tempore Presidency of the Andean Community, highlighted during the opening of the event, on Tuesday, the importance of the free-trade zone of the region. For Bolivia, he said, the Community is the first destination of its non-traditional exports. “Andean integration constitutes itself as the best tool in the face of an increasingly competitive world and new global challenges,” he said.

The interim Secretary General of the Andean Community, Diego Caicedo, said that small and mid-sized companies represent 90% of the market and generate 60% of employment.

In Caicedo's words, the Community is currently working on strengthening an adequate environment that generates business, he said and pointed out initiatives such as the Intercom project, which seeks to interconnect entities in foreign trade and facilitate the exchange of nearly four million digital documents.

Sources expect that by the end of the gathering, this Wednesday, there will be no less than 570 business meetings between exporters and buyers from the agricultural, food, chemicals, and manufacturing sectors. (PL)