Klimenko: “It is very important to show the world what Santa Cruz is today”

The Secretary of State for Fisheries and Aquaculture of Santa Cruz, Sergio Klimenkoreturned to the province after a international agenda that included the Argentina B2B Week | Seafood Edition France, in Paris, and the Conxemar-FAO International Congress and the 27th CONXEMAR International Frozen Seafood Products Fair, in Vigo, Spain. He traveled as provincial secretary and as representative of Santa Cruz before the Federal Fisheries Council.

In dialogue with the Undersecretary of Production and Content, Klimenko He described the experience as extremely positive and assured that the province returns with concrete information about the markets, commercial contacts and a clear message for investors: Santa Cruz wants to be a central player in Argentine fishing.

Paris: face-to-face business

On October 2, within the framework of Argentina Week and with the presence of the governor Claudio Vidalthe French capital received a business round that brought together Argentine fishing companies with French importers, distributors and buyers. During the mission, the provincial leader also toured the Rungis Market, the largest wholesale market for fresh products in the world, to learn how food arriving from France and other countries is marketed there.

“It was the first time that Santa Cruz and Argentine companies sat down in person at a table, within a commercial framework of the Argentine Republic and with the endorsement of the national government, to do business face to face,” Klimenko explained. He said that the format was very interesting, which consisted of the Argentine businessman staying at his table and the French buyers rotating. “Very good deals have been closed, very good orders,” he stated.

Likewise, the Secretary of Fisheries detailed what the French market is asking for: “France specifically asked us that the shrimp be peeled, deveined, without sulfite, without any chemical addition, that it be natural.” He added that “they are very interested in fresh raw materials, obviously frozen as well,” and that for Rungis they especially look for fresh products. The demand is not limited to shrimp, they also ask for scallops, hake and crab.

Klimenko also pointed out that many of these opportunities may be of interest to the provincial company Santa Cruz Podemos SAU, “with the added value and the type of raw materials that they are specifically requesting in France.”

Vigo: where world fishing is going

The second stage of the mission was in Vigo, one of the main fishing centers in Europe. There the delegation participated in the Conxemar-FAO International Congress, which according to Klimenko “marks the future of where world fishing is going“, and the 27th International Frozen Seafood Products Fair CONXEMAR. At the congress, market competitiveness, traceability, blue economy and incorporation of artificial intelligence in the activity were discussed.

“For us, what is important is the added value that we have to do from here, from origin, in the orders of hake, shrimp, and crab itself,” he said.

On the other hand, the provincial official also described a change in consumer habits: “Before, they bought quantities at home and cooked fish every day or every other day. Now they are doing it with individual portions, things that are very quick, that are heated in a microwave: in five minutes you can be having lunch or dinner.” For the secretary, this implies a challenge for the country: “Inside Argentina, we have to work internally to be able to deliver that product that the rest of the world is asking for.”

The importance of Santa Cruz being at the table

Fishing is one of the main economic activities of the province, which occupies third place nationally in landings, with Puerto Deseado and Caleta Paula as strategic ports. For this reason, Sergio Klimenko considered It is key that Santa Cruz has its own voice in these spaces.

“That generated confidence in investors, it generated seriousness,” he said. He explained that being present made it possible to respond immediately to queries about the Santa Cruz ports and to tell “where we are directing fishing and the investments that are being made by the provincial State in each of the ports of Santa Cruz.” According to him, this “generated a bridge” between French, Spanish and Argentine businessmen, “which opened much easier doors for them” because they could receive “immediate solutions or answers.”

“It is very important that Santa Cruz is present at these types of events. It is very important to show the world what Santa Cruz is today, all the investments that are being made in the ports, and show a direction of where we as a province want the fishery to go,” he stressed.

Companies that return to the ports of Santa Cruz

Furthermore, the secretary highlighted the results of this policy: “We are generating predictability for the employer, we are generating peace of mind for the worker, who will have guaranteed work over time.”

In that sense, he said that several companies that had left the province “some have already returned and others are looking, not only askance, but with great expectations to return to operate in our ports.” And he explained why it matters: “This generates an increase in discharges and a spill throughout the locality chain, in the case of Puerto Deseado or Caleta Paula with Caleta Olivia. The truth is that it is extremely positive.”