From June 19 to 23, the public-private mission that traveled together with 14 representatives of Chilean trade associations traveled to India to prospect new opportunities for the different Chilean sectors, meetings that will allow reinforcing Chile's penetration strategy in India.
- This Friday morning, after five days of intense meetings and visits to markets and importers, an important coordinated public-private mission to India was concluded, headed by the general director of ProChile, Ignacio Fernández, the international director of SOFOFA, Diego Torres, and the president of the Chile-India Business Council, Germán Ilabaca.
The visit, which sought to increase the development of the seal of origin in the local market and deepen relations with authorities, counterparts and entrepreneurs, was also attended by 14 representatives of national guilds of fresh fruit, dried fruit, meat and wine from Chile, who participated in market prospecting meetings and promotional events for their products, most of them present in major cities in India.
During the closing of activities, the general director of ProChile talked about the work that was done during this mission, emphasizing the next steps to be coordinated, "we must consider this trip as an important step in a coordinated strategy between public and private sectors to position ourselves in the market and move on to the next stages. We currently have excellent quality products in India that are recognized by importers, but we need the consumer to know that they come from Chile, that they know their origin, creating a seal for our exports in this market". He also added that "together with the positioning of our country, we have placed special emphasis on Chile's role as a gateway to Latin America, which positions us as a key partner".
The first stage of the mission took place in New Delhi, where the "Chile & India Challenge and Opportunities" discussion took place; the I Chile - India Business Council together with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII); in addition to meetings with the Ministry of Commerce, health and agriculture authorities, the Forum of Indian Food Importers (FIFI), and finally the promotional event "Captivating Chile", which was attended by importers, businessmen, influencers linked to the culinary world and tourism, along with local press.
The relationship that has been forged between India and Chile in recent years has been key to this mission, the first after the arrival of the pandemic, as highlighted by the International Director of SOFOFA, Diego Torres, "the I Chile-India Business Council are essential to continue pushing for the deepening of our trade relations. From a private point of view, we see this initiative as a way of presenting ourselves as a bloc to the Indian government, expanding our opportunities to bring Chilean products to the market and with better tariffs". SOFOFA's International Director added that "this mission allowed us to broaden our knowledge of India's complementary offer, which will allow us to grow in one of the countries with the largest population and presence in the world".
The mission had the opportunity to participate in activities in Mumbai, where they were able to share with local businessmen of the economic capital of India, among which stand out importers of fresh fruit such as Anusaya Fresh India Pvt. Ltd., who currently works with our country bringing to India Kiwis, Blueberries and Cherries, among others.
Among the promotional events within the mission, the Wines Of Chile masterclass "Know Chile Through Wines", an activity that included a presentation by Claudio Cilveti, president of the Food Export Council, who highlighted the role of Chilean wines in the local market and the growth potential they could experience in the coming years.
ProChile inaugurates its Commercial Office in Mumbai
Mumbai, capital of the state of Maharashtra, is one of the main commercial hubs of India, which makes it a key chapter of our economic exchange, while presenting new opportunities thanks to the recent growth of its middle class, which seeks imported products, high value-added and with a striking packaging that increases the value and categorization of their purchase.
These characteristics made Mumbai the destination of a second ProChile office in India, a commercial representation that began operating in 2020, just a few weeks before the outbreak of Covid 19 and that during this visit could be officially inaugurated by the authorities present, including the Ambassador of Chile in India, Juan Angulo and the Consul of Chile in Mumbai, Juan Claudio Valenzuela.
India continues to grow as a destination for our non-copper exports evolved from US$ 343 million in 2018 to US$ 400 million in 2022, which implies a growth of 4.25% in relation to 2021. With this amount, exports to India represent 1.8% of total Chilean exports of non-copper goods to the world.