Photo: Puerto. By: Kelly. Source: Creartive commons
In a joint effort between the Argentine Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, together with the National Service of Agrifood Health and Quality (SENASA), the suspension of 31 Argentine fishing establishments that had been imposed by the General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China (GACC) for cases related to Covid-19 was lifted. The lifting of the suspension, which in turn releases Argentina from the obligation to provide biweekly reports on the status of Covid-19 cases in authorized fishing establishments, is effective as of February 14, 2023. It should be noted that China is the world’s second largest importer of fishery products, with amounts exceeding US$ 13 billion per year, so the lifting of the suspensions implies opportunities for foreign currency inflows to the South American country.
The Secretary of Agriculture Juan José Bahillo highlighted that “this achievement is the result of the professional and coordinated work between different areas of the National Executive Power, and the trust built between Argentina and China.” Thanks to the strengthening of bilateral relations, China has become the second destination for domestic agri-food exports. In 2022, Argentina exported fishery products to China for a total value of US$223.5 million, 23% more than the previous year. Likewise, Undersecretary Carlos Liberman stated: “Our work and our function is fully and exclusively directed to the national fishing sector, which creates more than 100,000 direct and indirect jobs,” which is why “all that effort has been worth it.”
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Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores, Comercio Internacional y Culto Argentina. (2023). China levanta suspensiones sobre establecimientos pesqueros argentinos.
Find out more:
Infocielo (2023). China levantó suspensiones sobre establecimientos pesqueros.