Croatian port could be new hub for Argentina’s lemon exports
- by croatiaweek
- in Business
Croatian port could be new gateway for Argentina’s lemon exports
ZAGREB, 15 June (Hina) – The governor of Argentina’s northern province of Tucumán, Osvaldo Jaldo, met in his office with Croatian ambassador to Argentina Duška Paravić on Friday to discuss trade opportunities, including the export of lemons through the Croatian Adriatic port of Rijeka, his office announced.
“We talked about various topics, including trade, healthcare and education, as well as how our countries operate differently in both the public and private sectors,” said honorary Croatian consul Catalina Lonac, who attended the meeting alongside several local Argentine officials.
The consul, whose statement was published on the Tucumán provincial website, explained that Croatia has “extremely important ports which Argentina, particularly Tucumán, has not utilised, having become too accustomed to using the port of Rotterdam and Spanish ports such as Algeciras, which are completely overloaded and outdated.”
The port of Rijeka in Croatia, the diplomat added, “offers the same services, has a deeper draught and is ready to handle all trade destined for Eastern Europe, where Tucumán’s lemons are headed.”
Argentina is one of the world’s largest lemon exporters, with 1.3 million tonnes of lemons harvested annually in Tucumán, according to Argentine newspaper Clarín in 2017. In 2019, production reached 1.5 million tonnes, according to local government figures.
“We agreed with the governor that all information regarding the use of Croatian ports will be presented to economic chambers and the industrial union,” added Lonac, the honorary Croatian consul in the province, which has a population of 1.7 million.
