In addition to the showcase it means for hundreds of companies and consolidate as a strategic platform for the aquaculture industry, AQUASUR will realize in its 2024 version a series of initiatives related to its support to SMEs and startups.

This offer will be reflected in the implementation of an agenda structured by the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Ecosystem of the Los Lagos Region, which will take place in the agora of the SME zone during the development of the fair, located in the facilities of the Terminales Marítimos de la Patagonia (TMP).

“In Chile the aquaculture industry is based mostly on SMEs suppliers, therefore, the development of these is essential for the progress of the sector. And there was a need on the part of this sector to have greater access to this type of opportunity, such as the AQUASUR Fair”, says Federico Huneeus, professor of Economics at Duke University, who leads the team that organized the “Despega tu emprendimiento” contest, an initiative that awarded a total of 65 subsidies to small and medium-sized companies to cover the cost of a stand at the exhibition.

“This is an unprecedented initiative for AQUASUR. We had a competition supported by FISA, by universities in the United States, including Harvard and Yale, and with the support of local Chilean institutions, such as the Ministry of Economy, Corfo, the companies WherEX, MultiX, which are very involved in the aquaculture industry, and also international institutions such as the Inter-American Development Bank. All this with the objective of supporting the development of SMEs”, adds the academic.

“It was very well received by the SMEs. We had more than 200 companies that registered to participate in the contest, which raffled subsidies of 60% of the cost of having a stand at the fair. In other words, most of the cost of the fair for SMEs to have a stand was subsidized,” adds Huneeus.

Business roundtables

In the same sense, the pro-SME agenda will also be reflected in the activities that will take place within AQUASUR, specifically in the agora sector, where an area specially designed for business rounds will be set up. For this space, 370 meetings with 87 buyers were arranged. “We are very happy with everything that has been generated around the fair and on March 19, at 4.30 p.m., outside the plenary hall, in the foyer, there will be an activity to launch the SME zone, a tasting and in which the universities and the agencies behind the organization and coordination of the SME zone will participate,” says Paula Miranda, manager of AQUASUR.

For Federico Huneeus, professor of economics at Duke University, this type of effort is of great help to the industry. “We believe it is an initiative that not only contributes to reducing gaps, which naturally translates into a reduction of inequality, but also improves efficiency. Because these SMEs, by accessing better buyers and making better contacts, can improve their production processes and services, and thus improve productivity. So it is a very virtuous initiative, because it brings together improvements in inequality and improvements in efficiency”.

“And finally, there will be a construction site, where SMEs will have the opportunity to present their projects to an audience at the Fair, where there are potentially also buyers, and thus another opportunity to develop their businesses,” Huneeus concludes.