The second Fedefruta Business Round Table, held earlier this month in Santiago, Chile, attracted 45 per cent more international produce receivers than year one.
The event, organised by the Chilean gowers' association to put international buyers directly in touch with Chilean grower/exporters, was also attended by 20 per cent more Chilean companies - and the total delegation represented 45 million boxes of fruit.
"I am a little surprised and very happy with the huge turnout this year," Fedefruta president Luis Schmidt told freshinfo. "Most of the international delegates who came in 2003 were able to return and there were new receivers from Pakistan, Russia and India - all markets which interest Chile very much."
Four UK-based firms were in attendance, as well as a number of European and US companies, and four buyers from China, two from Korea and three from Japan reflected the Asian influence of the association.
"We [Fedefruta and other Chilean parties] have done a lot of preliminary studies towards signing a free trade agreement with China," said Schmidt. "Chinese president Hu Jimtao will be in Santiago for an APEC meeting in November and we will begin formal negotiations then.
"In India we are negotiating a partial free trade agreement. Chile pays 50 per cent tax on all agricultural goods shipped into India, making it very dificult to penetrate the market. But there is interest in our poducts there and we would like to be able to have access."
Fedefruta has also joined with the Chilean organic growers' association to broaden the selection on ofer to attendees and next year's International Round Table, which will also mark the 20th anniversary of Fedefruta, will be an integral part of Expofrut 2005, on October 5-6 in Santiago.
This will allow atendees to participate in both the round table and the country's largest fresh produce exhibition. Expofrut will also host the XVII National Fruit Producer Convention.
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