It will aim to promote high-potential manufacturing activities and ensure that each of them exports more than USD 1,000 million annually.
The event was attended by President Tina Polwarte, Ministers of State, Ambassadors and the entire export community.
Julio Pérez Alvan, President of the Association of Exporters (ADEX), announced to the government the next iteration of the ‘Gan Panche Exporter’ initiative, which aims to promote more productive activities and ensure that each of them exports more than 1,000 million US dollars per year.
It was during the 50th anniversary of the union, attended by President of the Republic Tina Pollarde Zegarra; Minister of Production, Raul Perez Reyes Espejo; Minister of Agriculture, Nellie Paredes del Castillo, ambassadors, past presidents of ADEX, export community and special guests.
“Activities included in the initiative will have an impact on formalization, decentralization, social inclusion, development and creation of formal and decent jobs,” he pointed out.
Emphasizing that exporters are agents of change, he urged that the dialogue with the authorities should be strengthened and this should be translated into measures in support of the manufacturing sectors. He said that we should progress economically, socially and morally.
Contribution to the state
The union leader highlighted the contribution of foreign trade to the country as revenue to the exchequer which, if well managed by the authorities, would turn into schools, hospitals, roads, bridges and other resources at the service of the citizens.
“Exports in 1973 totaled 1,112 million US dollars, of which 986 million US dollars were traditional and 126 million US dollars were non-traditional; last year they were 63,667 million US dollars, which is 57 times more than 50 years ago, but the most interesting thing is to see the evolution of non-traditional enterprises to 18,227 million US dollars in 2022, 145 times more compared to 1973,” he said. He explained.
This -he continued- is a great development that has allowed people to live well, which has been converted into more than 4 million 100 thousand decent and formal jobs between direct, indirect and induced. This is development, he said.
Rule of law
He pointed out that ADEX in its 50 years of corporate life has been characterized by upholding the rule of law and democracy as the 2 most important pillars that must sustain the development of the country; Likewise, to achieve an environment of stability and predictability for the growth of economic activities.
Perez recalled some of the initiatives added to export development, for example, Law 27360 (the law to promote agricultural exports that had already been repealed), the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism and Prompex of OCEX, now the creation of PromPeru and, in particular, the beginning of the business start-up process.
But it is still not enough -he noted-, exporters do not rest and continue to look for new markets and diversify the offer; Therefore, the entire government apparatus and national infrastructure must respond to these new challenges.
Virtuous circle
2021 is complicated, he opined, not only because it is the second year of the epidemic, but also because the government of Pedro Castillo has brought with it great instability and has shown the hard face of the corruption condemned by ADEX from the beginning. “It is because of this that we are engaged in a determined struggle for democracy,” he said.
He said that during that period there was no dialogue and an atmosphere of division was created: the capitalist against the worker, the rich against the poor, the regions and Lima against each other. Likewise, big corporations were demonized, entrepreneurs were bad, and the idea that growing and making a profit was a sin was perpetuated.
“It’s quite the opposite. If companies generate income, they enable a virtuous circle where everyone wins. Without profits there are no companies, without companies there are no workers with income, no goods or services, without all of which we would be a subsistence economy again,” he said.
He explained that in 2022, out of 8,203 exporting companies, 7,532 are micro and small, which means 91.8% of the total; This is part of the X-ray of the export structure: mips struggling to grow, medium-sized companies that are about to take the next step, and large companies that have been in the market for decades, many of them starting from scratch, nobody giving them anything, and they have achieved a certain stability and competitiveness.
Finally, the union leader said that in this new era it is important to reach minimum political understandings that will underpin economic growth and encourage the creation of more jobs. In addition to sharing the state’s long-term vision and continuity of sound public policies.
Tina Polwarde, President, highlighted the work ADEX has done throughout its 50 years. “Thanks to this work, our country is increasing its export-friendly supply and strengthening its trade presence in the world,” he said.
“The global crisis, political events and natural disasters have affected the economy and exports abroad. We are committed to working with the private sector to make Peru an actor and protagonist on the international stage. Through joint efforts, we will achieve stability and growth,” he concluded.
