They are interested in oranges, olive oil, wine, honey and other traditional products of our culture, in services and knowledge linked to tourism and even in ethanol, produced from carob.
Chinese entrepreneurs are increasingly looking to Portugal, to acquire highly coveted products in their national market, and are willing to come and get them from the Algarve as well.
It was to facilitate trade relations between Portugal and China that the Portugal-China Young Entrepreneurs Association (AJEPC) was born in 2012. Since December, the association has had a southern delegation, which will make itself known this Thursday, the starting at 19pm, in an event that will take place in Tavira and will bring together dozens of businessmen and responsible for entities in the region.
AJEPC has been promoting a lot of business between Portuguese entrepreneurs and their Chinese counterparts. Since it was founded, in the North of Portugal, it has expanded and already has members spread across the country. Now, he is taking his first steps in the Algarve, in a delegation chaired by Jorge Passarinho.
Today, in Tavira, the president of the Southern delegation of AJEPC will present the association to businessmen. At the same time, a practical example will be given of what they can offer to companies and producers in the region, as guests will have the opportunity to speak with Siegfried Verstappen, Senior Investment Promotion Executive of the Hong Kong Economic & Trade Office Brussels, who will be present at the event.
The Algarve region has been out of this business network, but it is not for lack of interest on the part of China. From the agricultural and fisheries sectors, to services, through the research and innovation that is operated in the region, there is a lot to call the attention of businessmen in that country in Asia, the most populous in the world.
“In the Algarve, they look for oranges a lot, because they are tremendous citrus consumers. There may have been an approach in the past, but for some reason it didn't go well. There is also a huge demand for honey. Other products in which they are very interested are Algarve wines and canned food», listed Hugo Pereira, the secretary general of AJEPC Sul, in statements to Sul Informação.
In addition to food products, there is another one that arouses particular interest on the part of Chinese businessmen: ethanol, more precisely, the one that can be produced from carob (and not only), the central focus of the research project «Serum & Alpha-ethanol», which is being developed at the University of Algarve.
"They import a lot of ethanol and buy it from countries in South America, which produce it from transgenic sugar cane, which makes it very expensive," he explained.
«Golf is also a product on which they are increasingly betting, with the issue of tourism also being raised. Tuna production, off the Algarve, is also another potentiality», he added.
Promoting this type of dynamic was, moreover, the main reason for the creation of the association. «A few years ago, the interest of the Chinese in the Portuguese market and in our noblest products began to emerge: wine, olive oil, honey and so on. There was also a desire on the part of Portuguese businessmen to work with their counterparts in China», illustrated Hugo Pereira.
Even because, before this bridge was created, «it was not easy to do business with China», even because of the distance between the two countries. Thus, AJEPC created a platform, which unites businessmen from both countries, and sought to create better conditions, not only in terms of transport, but also bureaucratic and even trustworthy between seller and buyer.
Basically, there is now an entity that mediates the business, giving other guarantees to all those involved in the business, to avoid bad experiences. “Everywhere there is serious and less serious business. The platform provides the credibility of both the seller and the buyer», he summed up.
The new partners opened up a new market for Portuguese entrepreneurs that allowed them not only to sell products, but, above all, to evolve. "This caused the rebirth of a series of businesses that were practically dying, and brought new business opportunities, including some that were kept in the drawer, which, due to lack of economic or market capacity, did not flourish", he exemplified.
In some cases, there was even an investment in the productive capacity of Portuguese companies, by Chinese buyers.
With the creation of the Southern delegation of AJEPC, it is expected that these opportunities will also be within the reach of entrepreneurs below the Tagus, namely in the Algarve.
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