Asoex president Ronald Bown said the agreement would strengthen the promotion and consumption of Chilean fresh fruits in China. “We’re focusing primarily on cherries and blueberries, because these are the first fruits to come into season, and during this time of year, they enjoy great prestige and interest from Chinese consumers,” he explained. “We must not forget that 80 per cent of the cherries Chile ships to Asia are destined for China.”
The Chilean government and Alibaba established a framework agreement last August to facilitate the direct sale of Chilean products to China via online portals during a mission attended by the former Chilean President Eduardo Frei. The deal between Asoex and Alibaba is the first private sector initiative to be established on the back of the agreement.
“We have every confidence that our campaigns will be fully empowered through this online platform, especially in a country where the penetration rate of internet usage is 650m people,” said Suarez. “Alibaba alone has 367m users or subscribers.”
During a day of meetings with T-Mall representatives, Carvajal added that Asoex had agreed a diverse programme of promotional activities. “We’re also coordinating a visit for T-Mall representatives to Chile so that they can see the process of producing and exporting our fruits and we can develop new promotional video footage,” he said.