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Past Events PA and Latin America: Partnering for Growth PHILADELPHIA -- At an April 18 breakfast meeting in the grand Racquet Club of Philadelphia, the Chilean & American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Philadelphia convened to discuss exporting goods from the Delaware Valley to Brazil and Chile. A number of speakers addressed the opportunities in these South American markets, although no mention was made of southbound perishable exports. Tens of millions of boxes of refrigerated Chilean and Brazilian produce arrive each winter into the seaports of the Delaware Valley. When The Produce News asked Fabio Yukio Yamada and Sergio Kalm about export prospects for U.S. producers, both acknowledged the logical thought and offered to help any companies interested in developing these markets. Mr. Kalm, who is the overseas trade representative for Pennsylvania in Chile, said that "we need to study southbound refrigerated cargo" to Chile. He noted that the U.S.-Chile Free Trade Agreement, which went into affect in early 2004, makes southbound exports all the more attractive to U.S. perishable exporters. Mr. Yukio, who represents Pennsylvania trading interests in Brazil, also acknowledged that this is an untapped potential resource for the United States. Bob Palaima, president of Delaware River Stevedores, which manages Philadelphia's Tioga Fruit Terminal, volunteered that his operation ships many U.S.-made automobiles to South America as backhaul freight aboard refrigerated ships. But he acknowledged that no perishables are taking advantage of the opportunities. Another speaker at the breakfast seminar was Joseph Burke, director of Americas & Oceania Group of the Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Development in Harrisburg. He said that Pennsylvania has the most aggressive export development plan of any state, and that very few countries try harder to develop exports than Pennsylvania. He noted that Pennsylvania has 15 international development offices, working in 34 countries, through trade shows, missions and other such work. Mr. Kalm said that Chile's exports to the United States rose 30 percent between 2003 and 2004, the year after the free trade agreement; Chile's imports of U.S. goods rose 32 percent in the same time period. The value of Chilean exports to the United States in 2004 totaled $4.8 billion, while imports from the United States were valued at $3.4 billion. Mr. Yukio noted that Brazil has Latin America's largest population: 168 million. Mexico ranks second at 97 million. Brazil's largest import items from the United States are computer software, information technology hardware and oil and gas, followed by aircraft and aircraft parts. U.S. exports to Brazil currently total about $19 billion. The meeting was moderated by Robert Blackburn, deputy executive director of the Philadelphia Regional Port Authority, and Pennsylvania state Sen. Michael Stack. Mr. Blackburn is president of the Chilean & American chamber.
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