Pretoria – The business people who will form part of the Department of Trade and Industry (dti)’s outward trade and investment mission (OTIM) to Peru are optimistic that they will find new markets for their products and services.
The delegation comprising 18 business people will be in the Latin American country’s capital Lima from 24 to 29 May.
Ansie Truter, the Marketing and Export Manager for Latin America at Cape Diamond Wines, said she is confident of signing deals with at least two importers who can distribute her wines in the Peruvian market.
“I am fortunate in that I was part of the dti business delegation that travelled to Peru last year. I managed to give the Peruvians a taste of my wines after selling 98 cases there during the visit.
“This time I will be following up with potential importers who have shown interest in our products,” she said.
Truter, whose company is situated in Lutzville, Namaqualand, said finding a market for her wines in Peru will impact positively on her business and result in her creating more jobs by increasing the number of employees in her company. She currently employs 11 people.
Lucy Klein, the Managing Director of the Pretoria-based Tintswalo Project Managers said she is hopeful that she will find a market for her capital mining equipment, as well as an investor for her company.
“Our objective is to explore various businesses opportunities in Peru with the aim of marketing our products, establishing strategic partnerships or entering into joint ventures with other Peruvian companies in the construction and capital equipment industries.
“We are also positive that we will strike a deal or two with potential investors. We are confident that we will not return empty-handed,” said Klein.
The mission will provide South Africa with an opportunity to introduce the country’s wines to the Peruvian market, Charl Rudman, the Managing Director of the Stellenbosch-based Blue Africa Trading, said.
“South African wines are relatively unknown in Peru. The wine market there is dominated by Argentina and Chile. It is a new market for SA.
“The mission will provide us with a good exposure as we first need to promote our products there and make steady inroads. As a company, we are not setting our expectations too high,” said Rudman.
He added that by clinching just one importer of their wines they would get a foot into the market.
The Managing Director of Vuka Africa Consulting Engineers Reshoketsoe Mamojele said her main goal is to scour for opportunities that can be existing in the Peruvian engineering sector.
“You are able to scan and diagnose and the country’s economic environment and identify possible opportunities better when you are physically there and interacting with various business people operating in your sector.
“Our aim is to find an export market for our skills and expertise. We are confident we will be able to identify a gap somewhere that we can provide solutions to and start doing business in Peru,” said Mamojele.
The Chief Executive Officer of Groot Constantia, Jean Naude says he is constantly searching the globe for possible markets for their wines.
“We will be doing the same in Peru and are optimistic that we will successfully use this to establish a market there for our products and finding people who can distribute them in Peru and neighbouring countries,” adds Naude.
Felix Jjaone, the Managing Director of Bradbri, an engineering company based in Boksburg, says his objective is to tap into the thriving mining sector in Peru.
“We are continuously exploring opportunities to expand our market. Peru is a potentially ideal market for us. We are manufacturing components for capital equipment that is mostly used in the mines. This trip provides us with a perfect platform to promote our products and expertise,” said Jjaone.
According to the Minister of Trade and Industry, Rob Davies, the objective of the OTIM is to create a platform for South African value-added products and services to enter the Latin American market, and encourage investments and joint ventures between the South African and Peruvian companies.
“The mission to Peru will provide the South African companies with an opportunity to penetrate the Latin American market which is not only about Brazil but more about the Pacific Alliance, a trade bloc that includes Chile, Colombia, Peru and Mexico. The bloc offers greater export and investment opportunities,” said Minister Davies.
Members of the South African business delegation will be able to interact with local business decision-makers and present their products and services in a one-on-one sessions.
“Our companies will also be able to introduce their products directly to their target markets. Delegates will also network and build relationships with potential importers and potential investors that will benefit both the companies and the country in future,” said the Minister.
Bilateral trade between South Africa and Peru totalled almost R600 million last year. It is heavily skewed in favour of SA which exported products worth more than R400 million to Peru.
According to the World Bank, Peru is one of Latin America’s fastest growing economies and is expected to remain as such in the medium term. – SAnews.gov.za
