A new edition of Expoagro begins today, the most important agro-industrial fair in the country, which has its permanent headquarters in San Nicolás. It will last until Friday.
Last night was the turn of the inaugural dinner which was attended by Axel Kicillof and several governors such as Rogelio Frigerio, from Entre Ríos, Martín Llaryora from Córdoba and Maximiliano Pullaro from Santa Fe.
They were together with the Secretary of Bioeconomy, Fernando Vilella, and the owners and CEOs of the main companies that animate this exhibition.
“This year we expect to have one of the best campaigns of all time. “It’s like this,” said Expoagro director Martin Schwartzman.
The surprise President Javier Milei will arrive this Tuesday at 12 who will visit the exhibition and specifically asked the organizers for a dedicated space for an interview with the producers.
In the last elections Milei received an avalanche of votes from the countryside.
On a normal day, around 20,000 people visit the exhibition and it is believed that today that number will exceed. Milei asked to speak in a closed auditorium of no more than 150 people. The organizers guaranteed him a tent, the same one in which the welcome dinner was held last night.
There will be more at the fair 600 exhibitors, including on this occasion 130 new companies.
Additionally, there will be input signatures in 12 demonstration plots. Likewise, there will be more than 12 public and private banking institutions, which will offer various special financing lines for the Expo, which is fundamental for the sector.
The property will therefore have 8,000 square meters more commercial space compared to the previous year.
The Secretary of the Bioeconomy will receive the ministers of the Southern Agricultural Council (CAS) during the fair.
It will be the first meeting of this year and will bring together the agricultural ministers of Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay, Chile and Bolivia. The Minister of the Interior also confirmed his presence Guillermo Francos and Foreign Minister Diana Mondino.
The fair takes place in a very different production context compared to last year, characterized by drought and a drastic drop in production.
A significant recovery in corn and soybean harvests is expected this year 56 and 49 million tons, respectively, which will boost the strategic sector for the country.
This brings greater dynamism to the economy, which translates into greater investments by producers.
According to Abeceb Consulting, sales of agricultural machinery will grow this year by 14.6%, exceeding 20,700 units, including tractors, combines and other products, after 2023 when transactions decreased by 41%.
In any case, there is uncertainty about what might happen to international prices, which have fallen this year due to oversupply of grains. From January to today they have decreased by almost 15% and are at the lowest level in the last 3 years.
Exports of cereals, oils, flours and derivatives are forecast at $31.3 billion for the 2023/24 campaign, $4.5 billion less than December forecast, as estimated by the Rosario Stock Exchange.
This calculation was also affected by the drop in production due to the heat wave that occurred between the end of January and the beginning of February.
In the local market, prices have also dropped significantly.
From mid-December to today, the real value of the Rosario Slate has fallen by an average of 35% and, in the case of soybeans and corn, has reached the lowest values since August 2023.
In this context, there is a strong delay in sales by producers, who are holding back the goods while waiting for what may happen with the values of cereals, but above all with the country’s macroeconomy.
The exhibition is also an ideal space for various company launches. This year stands out, among others, the launch of the R Series sprayer from the Valtra brand.
Metalfor, in turn, will propose great innovations that it has been working on for some time and will present them to the general public: a new work in autonomous driving. Indecar is preparing to launch the Phantom 7200 self-propelled pneumatic fertilizer at Expoagro, which allows a leap in productivity thanks to its autonomy and working width.
Source: Clarin
