CORRIENTES HAS BEEN AN EXAMPLE OF DIALOGUE AND CONSENSUS TO IDENTIFY CHALLENGES AND PROVIDE SOLUTIONS. IN YOUR OPINION, WHAT HAVE BEEN THE MAIN BENEFITS OF THIS APPROACH?

 

Our Government is based in transparency and since my election, we have exposed all challenges facing our province and have been working together with all actors from the public and private sectors to find the most suitable solutions. I believe that we can achieve better results by being more efficient and this is one of my priorities as a Governor. 

 

This approach has proved successful as Corrientes became one of the three provinces in Argentina that has agreed with all its Municipalities to become part of the Fiscal Responsibility pact with the National Government. We have 42 different political parties in Corrientes which make the task more complex and required an important work of coordination and dialogue from the Provincial Government so that we can reach a consensus with all parties involved. Another achievement concerning all municipalities was to identify the environment as an essential part of our province’s long-term strategy to improve social and economic development. 

 

THE ECONOMIC MODEL OF CORRIENTES IS BASED ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT. WHAT IS THE ROLE OF THE TOURISM SECTOR FOR THE PROVINCE’S ECONOMIC GROWTH IN THE FUTURE?

 

We believe that the best way to improve the quality of life of our citizens is through an increased economic development. One of the ways we can do that is to develop the tourism sector to its full potential and the Esteros del Iberá play a central role in our strategy. The natural landscapes we have in our province are unique not only in Argentina but around the world. If we can develop our resources sustainably, we will have long-term benefits. We are transforming the productive matrix of Corrientes, by gradually reducing the number of primary activities and giving more place to value-added and clean activities, such as renewable energy, services and tourism which are already responsible for an important share of jobs created in our province. 

 

Paradoxically, the areas that have more potential for sustainable development are the ones that today have a higher level of poverty. In the areas where we have already developed tourism activities and that are receiving an increasing number of local and foreign tourists, we can see a definite improvement in the local economies. We are also investing in education so that our people can have the necessary skills that will be needed in these activities, as a consequence of upcoming projects and investments. 

 

The Iberá I was the first strategic investment plan in this area in our province. Recently, we have launched the second phase of this plan, called Iberá II, with a public investment of 400 million pesos aimed at developing key structural projects in the area, such as roads, hotels, services and other necessary infrastructure to improve the area. We expect the investments from the private sector to be much higher as they benefit from direct support from our Government, including credit lines and tax cuts.

 

CORRIENTES OFFERS ATTRACTIVE INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES IN MULTIPLE SECTORS. WHAT ARE YOUR MAIN PRIORITIES?

 

Argentina has opened itself to the world and Corrientes is ready to work with investors so they can benefit from the enormous opportunities our province has to offer. Our society has changed and is willing to innovate based on a sustainable economic development approach that can improve the quality of life of our citizens with shared economic opportunities for all. Foreign investors can expect personalized attention from our Government helping them in every step of the way to make sure the investment process is fast and smooth, following our laws. Corrientes is home to the most important forestry industry in the country which has received increased attention from investors. Recently, we have received proposals from Chinese investors interested in establishing wood processing factories for export which is in line with our objective to increased value-added based activities. 

 

We have the third largest livestock industry in the country with our grass-fed beef and lamb meats recognized internationally for its distinctive quality and taste. We have opportunities for building large-scale cold storages for exporting our products. We also have the most significant horticultural production in greenhouses in Argentina and have opportunities for food-canning industries to benefit from this high-quality products. Organic products have become the trend internationally and Corrientes can serve as a hub for investors looking to develop high-quality products to export markets.Corrientes has also become one of the leading provinces in Argentina for attracting investments in the renewable energy sector, mostly in biomass and solar. 

 

Finally, Corrientes has a very rich and diverse culture that has been primarily influenced by its European and Guarani roots, such as the Chamamé genre of music. our province has an important history. In 2004, Corrientes declared Guaraní to be an official language, alongside Spanish, being the first Argentine province to officialize a language other than Spanish.