In the midst of a historic moment of global geopolitical reconfiguration, the world is rediscovering itself the need for productive autonomy and material supply. In this context, Argentina coexists, from an entrepreneurial point of view, with “the need to order macroeconomics and the decision to promote growth”.
As part of the 28th Industrial Conference of the UIA, the second panel dedicated to “Geopolitical reconfiguration: the challenges of a dynamic scenario for regional value chains”, participated
Hugo Sigmann. founder of Grupo Insud and Javier Madanes Quintanilla. Honorary President of Aluar and owner of Fate.
Economist Miguel Peirano, who moderated this panel, said at the beginning of his speech that “Argentina is an industrial country and has all the conditions to increase its capacity. For this reason, the evident need to order the macro and the fiscal scenario ”. “It affects him the effectiveness of the policies adopted and the global scenario that gives opportunities and generates risks “She said.
“The only certainty is uncertainty”, the famous phrase of the philosopher Zygmunt Bauman served to Sigman to contextualize his speech and his gaze on the geopolitical reconfiguration which is increasingly accelerated. Both businessmen talked about the global scenario, so they tried to focus on the reality and challenges that Argentina faces. The local central axis revolved around of the demand for dollars to be produced and improvements in fiscal policy.
“Dollars are not only earned by exporting, but also they are generated by the savings obtained by not importing medicines that the Argentine pharmaceutical industry is able to produce in the country ”, underlined the pharmaceutical entrepreneur, who received applause from the public.
Speaking of this geopolitical reconfiguration that is accelerating more and more due to the pandemic as well as the war in Russia and Ukraine, Sigman stressed that “in times of crisis it is essential to have a strong national industry”he stressed that the country has it, but warned of the difficulties encountered in particular by the pharmaceutical sector.
“In Argentina, a product manufactured in the country pays 34% of its value in all taxes, while an imported finished product in Argentina pays 30% of the taxes. That is, there is an additional 4% of the taxes paid by the national industry. , where the cost of the divine principle is 10% and the fundamental costs are: labor, active principles, salaries and benefits, “he said.
And along the same lines, he reflected: “I think it would be interesting to review the tax issue because I understand that with the strength that the Argentine pharmaceutical industry has, it is able to solve the problems of the needs of our products, and to export “.
For Sigman this is a very curious situation why “If we had an adequate fiscal policywe would probably have an industry that would avoid importing, that would export, and all the technological conditions are set for that to be so. “
After examining the aluminum industry in particular and talking about how the industry is preparing for the transformation that implies the change of the Argentine energy matrix (passing from generation through fossil fuels, to generation through clean), that ” it is the key to enter the market world “, Madanes Quintanilla invited the youngest to” defend the role “of the national industry.
“In terms of output, the industry in the country accounts for no less than nearly 25% of GDP,” he said. And he added: «In our relationship with the state, how does the state see us playing this role? The state sees us badly, it doesn’t have much faith in us “.
Argentina in the global vision
Regarding the geopolitical situation and the impact on Argentine industry, Sigman said: “There is an alarm in the face of a world situation in which the West observes that the East It is 30% of the world GDP. What was a planetary globalization in which the circulation of capital was global, this globalization is shrinking and will do so more ”.
“There is a reduction in globalization and it affects the interests of multinationals and, in this sense, “what this reconfiguration of the world has done change the axis in decision making. Argentina has a situation where it has the backing and support of the West for its economy, but its production is destined for that world of 30% of GDP ”.
For Madanes Quintanilla, “Argentina continues to have a GDP per capita in the world averageL. This has changed in the past 70 years when we were somewhere else. But from this point of view it is not so serious.
“What is enormously attention-grabbing is what has happened over the past 60 years. Per capita GDP grew by 800%. The world did it in 2000%, Brazil in 2800%. It is a race that we are losing and we do not realize it “, she warned.
YN
Source: Clarin
