ROGERS, AR, USA - Melvin Torres, director of western hemisphere trade for the World Trade Center Arkansas is visiting Argentina this week to promote bilateral trade relations between Arkansas and Argentina.

Torres’ trip will coincide with the Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce‘s trip to Argentina as the Chamber embarks on their cultural heritage celebration series. This trip doubly serves as an opportunity for the Chamber to execute their international economic development strategy and bring people to Argentina who have a commercial interest in the area for which Torres will serve as a facilitator.

Torres will promote Arkansas and serve as a facilitator for commercial and intercultural exchange. He met with industry and government leaders from organizations such as the American Chamber of Commerce in Argentina, the Minister of Exterior Relations and Culture Debora Bandura, the National Transportation Ministry and the Department of the Exterior for COPAL, a food and beverage trade bureau that represents 30 of Argentina’s most important food and beverage conglomerates.

“Argentina has potential as a bilateral trading partner to Arkansas,” Torres said “We both share agriculture as a primary industry but there goods that Argentina imports such as chemicals and agricultural machinery, which Arkansas manufactures.”

Argentinian leaders were highly interested in Arkansas and Torres is working to establish the next steps to continue pursuing a strong trade relationship. Minister Bandura and others wish to visit Arkansas water and waste management companies as well as companies that specialize in using or producing recycling or recycled materials. He will meet again with Bandura on Thursday.

Torres has also secured a highly exclusive invitation for a delegation of Arkansas agriculture representatives to attend the high profile trade show, Feria Alimentar in November 2017.

Torres trip to Argentina was briefly interrupted by a quick trip to Washington D.C. on Tuesday in which he testified before the Office of the United States Trade Representative during the NAFTA modernization hearings on NAFTA’s benefit to Arkansas and the needs of Arkansas companies.

Torres flew back to Argentina and will remain for the rest of the week to promote trade.

The mission of the World Trade Center Arkansas is to grow trade and increase Arkansas exports by connecting Arkansas businesses to the world through international trade services. For more information and valuable updates, please follow the Center on Facebook and Twitter, or subscribe to the World Trade Center Arkansas newsletter.