Mexico World Trade Center visits NEA businesses

JONESBORO, AR (KAIT) - A trade mission hoping to bridge the gap between Arkansas companies and Querétaro happened on Tuesday at the Jonesboro Regional Chamber of Commerce.

The World Trade Center Arkansas hosted an inbound reverse trade mission with its partners the Consul General of Mexico in Little Rock and the World Trade Center Querétaro.

The meeting allowed company representatives and diplomats to explain and discuss how to start the export partner-matching process.

Their goal is to recruit Arkansas companies to sell products or services to Querétaro.

The Consul General of Mexico Rodolfo Quilantán Arenas is excited about the opportunities that the meeting could bring.

“I think it’s a great opportunity,” said Arenas. “Mexico buys most of the rice, soybeans, or agricultural product from your estate and I think being in Mexico, and talking face-to-face with the Mexican buyers will be a wonderful benefit.”

More than 800 global enterprises and universities, 45 research and developmental centers, and 20 industrial parks can be found in the Mexican City.

The Director of Western Hemisphere Trade at the World Trade Center Arkansas Melvin Torres hopes that people will get involved with the trade mission.

“This particular event will open the door for companies that want to sell their product in to Mexico,” said Torres. “Querétaro is the fastest growing, one of the fastest growing, cities in Mexico.”

Leaders from the World Trade Center Querétaro also held meetings in Little Rock and Northwest Arkansas.

Interested Arkansas companies can attend meetings at the World Trade Center Querétaro in Mexico during the World Trade Center Association’s 50th General Assembly in April of 2019.

In addition, State Trade Expansion Program grant funding might be available for eligible Arkansas small businesses to offset costs.

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