Potentially huge market in South America

Press, 30 August 1979, Page 19

Potentially huge market in South America

The almost untapped and potentially huge South American market offers bright prospects for New Zealand exporters.

This is the view of Mr R. N. Gardiner, a member of the recently-returned Export Institute of New Zealand trade mission to Chile, Ecuador, Columbia, and Venezuela. “The mission was very successful, and particularly well received in Chile. They want to trade with us. The gates are open, and the country is better off now than it has ever been,” Mr Gardiner said. “However, it was unfortu-

nate the Federation of Labour’s trade ban with Chile continued, because it prevented New Zealand exporters from taking any initiative in developing trade prospects in the area,” he said.

Mr Gardiner, who is the export manager of Duroid, a division of Fletcher Industries, Ltd, secured two trial orders worth a total of $15,000 for reflective aluminium foil insulation.

The foil, used in the field of commercial and industrial roofing, is not manufactured in South America.

Smail quantities had been imported from the United

States, but the new product from New Zealand created significant interest in all the countries Mr Gardiner visited. The trade mission was led by Mr J. R. Fletcher, the export director of the Fletcher group.