By Andrés Orrego Siebert
The Governor of Rondônia, Marcos Rocha, stated that the Port of Arica will be a great commercial partner for his State. The Brazilian state authority projected, after signing a sister-state agreement with the Arican governor, Diego Paco, that if the relationship between Chile and Brazil deepens, there will be a high flow of products transiting through the Central Bi-Oceanic Corridor, which also includes Bolivia.
“I have no doubt that this sister-state agreement between Rondônia and Arica will yield great results. We have been working on this since 2023. With the arrival of Governor Diego Paco, we intensified this action even more. Now we had the opportunity to see how much the port has developed and its capacity to transport products much faster and more effectively, even to reach Asia. So, this is important for Arica, for Chile, for Rondônia, and it is important for Brazil,” he observed.
“Many tons could come to the port. We have soybeans, for which they have experience in handling here, we have corn, we have a gourmet coffee that is gaining space in several parts of the world, including China. We are, in fact, champions in Brazil with our coffee that has received awards. We have a lot of captive production of Tambaqui, which is a native fish of Brazil. We also have livestock, which is why we are the state with the highest growth in terms of Brazil’s GDP. So, we are advancing, and another aspect of Rondônia is that we have the second lowest unemployment rate in Brazil, so whoever doesn’t work in Rondônia is someone who has not yet prepared themselves or is waiting to be prepared. We have full employment,” pointed out the state authority.
“I am convinced that Chile, through Arica and its port, is a great commercial partner for the State of Rondônia. I cannot forget Bolivia, because the Governor of Beni (José Unzueta) has worked a lot with me to build the binational bridge and other actions, so this triple alliance that we have made between the governors of Bolivia, the Governor of Arica, and us, is very important for growth. We are not working for ourselves, but we are working for our people. That is my way of thinking, and I believe it is the same that they also have,” he added.
Regarding the upcoming challenges, Rocha expressed that the Federal Government of Brazil must improve customs control in his State with a view to facilitating exports and imports in the context of the Central Bi-Oceanic Hub.
“What is missing from the Brazilian Government’s side is the Customs part. We have the bridge that is under construction, we have the possibility of moving cargo through other points, but if we don’t have customs, that gets delayed. The Chilean Government is clear about the importance of Customs to strengthen trade. Now, what we have to do is convey that importance to the Brazilian Government so that we can also strengthen that part,” he explained.
In that sense, Rocha stated that there will be a binational meeting in Rondônia during the first days of February with the objective of presenting to authorities of the Federal Government of Brazil how the Chilean customs system works, but also its logistics, with a view to using the Port of Arica as a point that helps mobilize the imports required by that State, as well as its export basket.
“Now, we are sister states, Arica and Rondônia, and with the meeting we will have on February 4th, 5th, and 6th in Rondônia with Brazilian national authorities as well, these conditions will be further strengthened, which will lead us to bring products from Rondônia to the Port of Arica, as well as take to there the products that arrive in Arica and also those from Chile for our State and for Brazil,” he affirmed.
