"The access to matured, frozen or chilled beef that Japan approved is a positive message to other similar markets", said the president of the National Meat Institute, Federico Stanham, who thinks that the possibility of selling hamburgers is "extremely important". "The future of meat exports is in Asia", he said.
"Whoever wants to sell food in Asia, particularly in Japan, should be present at this fair, because it is the first opportunity to come with the possibility of closing business," said Stanham, who accompanied the Minister of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries, Enzo Benech, in the booth of Uruguay, and Deputy Foreign Minister, Ariel Bergamino, among other authorities.
"To enter a market with the characteristics of Japan, is a long and constant path, in which this is the first step to have a clearer knowledge of the situation," remarked the president of INAC. In the Uruguayan Meats’ booth were present 14 slaughterhouses, in addition to six brokers and traders.
Stanham explained that the products that can be export are beef, matured, frozen or cooled - 120 days, a fact that the leader considered important because the transport of maritime shipments takes 50 days.
"The pleasant surprise we received is that also two plants that produce hamburgers are enabled, which is extremely important”, he said. "In addition to being a great achievement and recognition to quality production with sanitary management adjusted to public requirements, it is also a message to other markets with high demands but that do not give us the same level of access".
On Wednesday, March 6, the "Day of Uruguay in Japan" was celebrated, organized by Uruguay XXI, the Embassy of Uruguay in Japan and the National Meat Institute (INAC). This activity was supported by the Japanese-Uruguayan Chamber of Commerce, the Embassy of Japan in Uruguay and JETRO.
The event promoted Uruguay as a reliable food supplier through a tasting of Uruguayan products, such as meats, caviar, cheeses, olive oils and others, and also a show of tango music and indigenous dance of Uruguay were performed.
This business meeting, which also brought together potential Japanese investors and entrepreneurs, was attended by the Minister of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries, Enzo Benech, the Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs, Ariel Bergamino, the Uruguayan Ambassador to Japan, César Ferrer, the Executive Director of Uruguay XXI, Antonio Carámbula and the president of INAC, Federico Stanham, as well as the delegation of Uruguayan export companies that participates in Foodex.
"We are the first country that entered this market as free of foot-and-mouth disease with vaccination. That is because Japan believes in Uruguay, and we have to take care of it” emphasized Benech.
“The imports of meat in Japan are concentrated in five or six companies and all of them attended the Uruguayan Meats’ booth in Foodex Japan. That's a very good start signal”, indicated the Marketing Manager of INAC, Lautaro Pérez.
The market's preference is lean meat, which is used to process hamburgers, and that’s a good niche for Uruguay, he said.
“First we will start/enter with hamburgers, then chilled cuts or with another cattle ending cuts, but there we have the competition from Australia and the United States. We will have results within two months, because the pace is necessarily slow, because the times are different from those in China or the United States, which are more aggressive. We have to understand how the market works and then gain position", he explained.
