Argentina's real challenge is not just to increase its exports, but to build productive capacities that allow it to transform every dollar exported into development, employment and added value within the country.
This is the central reflection of the column published by Horacio Pereira, Fellow at the Center for International Strategies of Governments and Social Organizations (CIG) from the School of Government from the Universidad Austral, in the newspaper Ámbito Financiero.
The starting point is a key question for the country's productive future: how do we ensure that every dollar earned from exports is not an end in itself, but a lever for national development?
Currently, a significant portion of Argentina's exports are concentrated in commodities or in the early stages of value chains. This structure creates vulnerability to global economic cycles and limits internal productive spillover. To reverse this situation, the challenge lies in building robust productive ecosystems in which knowledge, innovation, investment, and local capabilities are integrated into value chains.
International evidence shows that the countries that manage to transform their natural resources into sustainable development are not necessarily those that export the most, but rather those that build industrial, technological, and institutional capacities around those resources.
In this sense, the column proposes to move towards a deliberate strategy of building productive capacities based on three pillars of public policy.
The first is to encourage the participation of local suppliers in the value chains of strategic sectors such as agriculture, mining, and energy. The inclusion of SMEs and national suppliers allows for a greater productive impact of investments and the creation of skilled jobs.
The second pillar is prioritizing innovation, quality, and differentiation. Countries that successfully add value to their exports are those that invest consistently in research, technological development, and human capital formation.
The third element is infrastructure as an enabler of competitiveness. Logistical connectivity, efficient transport, and access to reliable energy are essential conditions for productive ecosystems to develop and compete on a global scale.
More than a sectoral debate, this issue points to a strategic question for the country's economic future. The difference between remaining trapped in cycles of vulnerability or becoming a relevant player in the global economy depends on the ability to transform the wealth generated by exports into lasting productive capacity.
Ultimately, the challenge is not only to sell more to the world, but to ensure that each export project becomes a platform for the industrial, technological and territorial development of Argentina.
Read the full column in Ámbito Financiero: https://www.ambito.com/opiniones/argentina-la-exportacion-la-construccion-capacidades-n6221208
