Trade hopes take flight Argentinian group visits

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TOP SPOT: Pacific Aerospace's P-750 XSTOL flies over San Francisco Bay. The company has nearly completed it's first South American deal.

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Waikato businesses were given the chance to talk trade with an Argentinian delegation in Hamilton yesterday, some companies already making in-roads into South America.

Headed by Argentinian Minister of Industry Debora Giorgi, the trade mission of about 90 ministry officials and Argentinian business people came to Hamilton to create new trade, Opportunity Hamilton business development manager Sandy Turner said.

Members of the delegation held trade talks with several Waikato agricultural machinery and technology businesses at Innovation Park. The outcomes of those talks will be monitored by Opportunity Hamilton which will then report on regional benefits.

The mission ran out of time to visit Hamilton-based aircraft manufacturer Pacific Aerospace but spokesman Todd Stephenson said the company was already gaining traction in South America with its first sale to the continent nearly completed.

A Mexican company has bought a US$1.8 million (NZ$2.5m) P-750 XSTOL 10-seat, turbine-powered aircraft after Pacific Aerospace launched an ambitious marketing campaign, in which one of the aircraft flew from Hamilton to Alaska, then down the length of the Americas to Chile.

He said the Latin American market would be a good one for the aircraft, particularly in the passenger and freight configuration.

"We were at an airshow in Sao Paulo two weeks ago where we ran our video and there was a great response to what the aircraft can do and they saw it as being ideal for Brazil and in particular in the Amazon basin," Mr Stephenson said.

He was disappointed the trade delegation did not visit but said Pacific Aerospace regularly had visits from potential buyers from around the world.

Mrs Turner said the trade mission was likely to be the first of many between Hamilton and Argentina with hopes the next will be focused around the dairy industry.

As an emerging agricultural giant, Argentinian businesses are very interested in the opportunities offered by Hamilton's agri-business and machinery sector, Mrs Turner said. She said there were plenty of opportunities for New Zealand companies in Argentina as well and yesterday's talks had been about a two-way trade relationship.

"Once they realised it was win, win there was huge support for the event by Hamilton businesses," she said.

- © Fairfax NZ News