As part of the campaign to position Chilean pork in Japan called “ChilePork,” the Chilean Meat Exporters’ Association, ChileCarne, inaugurated activities where a delegation of Japanese journalists specialized in the meat and food industry will learn about the features of the Chilean pork industry and its origin, Chile, in detail.
The guests are Haruhiko Ukaji, from the specialized media outlet Shokuhin Sangyo Shinbun Sha, the journalist Ryohei Shimada, who writes for the Shokuniku Tsushin Sha, the biggest company from the meat sector in Japan, and last but not least, Yumie Omiya, a journalist for the Diamond Chain Store, one of the most prestigious magazines in the food sector.
“We are very excited to learn about the reality of the Chilean market and we look forward to sharing our experience with the consumers back in our country,” said Yumie Omiya.
The first activity took place last Friday. On the occasion, Jorge O’Ryan, director of ProChile (Chilean Exports Promotion Bureau), José Luis Alarcón, communications assistant manager of Brand Chile (Imagen de Chile Foundation), and Juan Carlos Domínguez, executive president of ChileCarne, presented on Chile’s trade, the country’s international image and the importance of the Japanese market for its economy, and specifically for the pork industry, respectively.
In 2018, Japan accounted for 27% of pork shipments in terms of value, becoming a key market for the Chilean pork industry. Juan Carlos Domínguez described Japan as “a long-term business partner”. He also stressed that “to respond to the global demand for protein, we must increase meat production and at the same time improve current Chilean territorial policies.”
The activities continued on Monday with a guided tour of Maxagro facilities, one of ChileCarne’s member companies. The delegation witnessed the operation of the “Las Pataguas” slaughterhouse first-hand, and they were amazed by the thoroughness of the process and the infrastructure of the facilities located in the district of Pichidegua, O’Higgins Region.
The hosts for this visit were Jorge Rozas, Maxagro’s commercial manager, Joaquín Sanhueza, agricultural manager of Santa Lucía, and Elizabeth Ellmen, sustainability manager. They guided the Japanese delegation through the farm, the Las Pampas biodigester, and the aforementioned slaughterhouse. In addition to answering the journalists’ questions, they showed them some of the natural beauties of the Colchagua Valley, where their facilities are located.
The Japanese delegation visit will continue until the end of the week, where they will tour the facilities of the port of Valparaíso and its operation, some Chilean retailers to see how meat is sold in Chile, and the Rosario Agrosuper plant, the largest pork processing plant in South America.[:]
