Brazilian businessmen urge Argentina to eliminate trade barriers

In a moment in which bilateral trade is hurting, Brazilian businessmen met in Sao Paulo with a delegation of hundreds of Argentine industrialists and once again urged for the elimination of Argentine trade barriers

“We need to improve our trade relationship with Argentina by buying more, selling more and eliminating trade barriers,” said the head of the Sao Paulo Industries Federation (FIESP) Paulo Skaff, as he asked for the end of trade barriers “mainly” in Argentina “where everybody knows there are more.” Over 330 representatives of Argentine companies led by Domestic Trade Secretary Guillermo Moreno and some 270 executives from Brazilian companies attended the meeting, which was called by the FIESP in the economic capital of Brazil.

Skaff first met with Moreno, considered by many to be the architect of the trade barriers, price control and regulation of currency exchange in Argentina. 

The Brazilian businessmen will be able to buy more from their Argentine counterparts, Skaff said, and mentioned a potential jump in trade to $6 billion.

“Logically, we expect Argentina to do the same. To stop buying from other countries and buy more Brazilian,” he said, assuring that “there’s a group of companies willing to go to Buenos Aires to announce big investments” in Argentina, he added.