EXPORT IN PERIOD OF COVID 19

First of all, when we talk about export, there are many people who still think that it only means sending products outside of Spain.

Indeed, it means moving some products from the country, but we must take into account the internal regulations of each country and that can fully affect the product we have in hand.

Knowing that exporting is not easy, we must add the difficulty that we are currently experiencing, and that as we all know very well it is Covid 19.

The social alarm that Covid 19 has generated has fully affected our daily lives, so it is normal that our work and the way we carry it out have also been affected. Indeed, nowadays we are becoming familiar with “teleworking”, and that those of us who have lived with the world of Foreign Trade for years have known it previously; since it may not always be possible to visit clients or see them at different international fairs. Both from the office, hotel room, airport terminal or from the house itself; We have been used to communicating through e-mails, video calls, WhatsApp, etc.

As I have mentioned before, we are experiencing limitations that prevent us from having direct contact with our international clients (lack of international fairs, lack of commercial visits, etc.); But that is not why we have paralyzed our way of working and our businesses have to continue.

Today more than ever, we have to analyse country by country, and see to what degree the pandemic is affecting it, since the pace of pandemic growth is not the same for everyone. This is an interesting aspect to take into account, which makes the commercialization that can be had with other countries more optimistic than the commercialization that can be had within Spain. As the months have passed, we find countries that ask us for a PCR before entering their borders, and as the vaccination of the population continues to evolve; the measures will revolve around this vaccination.

Taking as a reference the month of March 2020, which was when we began the confinement in Spain and in many countries, I want to contribute my grain of sand and leave here on the record that various operations have been closed that include clients from different parts of the world. It must be borne in mind that we must never stop contacting our clients and the relationship with them on many occasions becomes personal instead of work. Next, I present a list of exports made in period of Covid 19, which should make us reflect on the possibilities of continuing to strengthen our exports, even with greater effort.

• Meat products for the Netherlands, Greece, Lebanon, Germany, France and the United Kingdom.
• Cupcakes for China, this country being the origin of the pandemic.
• Wine, brandy and hams for Eastern Europe.
• Oil for the Middle East.

Reviewing some publications on the exports of 2020, I have observed that Catalonia has increased its exports of meat products to China compared to last year, Castilla La Mancha has also improved its food export figures compared to 2019.

It should be noted that food is a sector that has not been as limited as other sectors when it comes to being able to circulate across borders; which should lead us to reflect that betting on the export of food in times of Covid 19 will give us some satisfaction.

YAZMIN VAZQUEZ CRUZ                                                          MIGUEL ANGEL BUSTOS DELGADO

Export Manager                                                                          Area Manager

Exportando con Yazmín                                                            Exportando con Yazmín