The Regional Government will intensify the promotion and marketing of regional products through a significant support to the Plan to Promote Azorean Products in 2014, which will be jointly implemented with the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Azores.

The Vice-President of the Government presented today the guidelines of this project at a press conference held in Ponta Delgada. The government official pointed out that "this project aims to accomplish concrete goals; the first being the promotion of exports to markets where Azorean companies are operating with the aim of optimising the installed production capacity.

Sérgio Ávila added that this initiative is also intended to "increase the visibility of the Azores in foreign markets" and disseminate the "products made in Region with local raw materials."

According to Sérgio Ávila, the plan was created with the purpose of allowing regional companies to reinforce their competitive strategies and "created the conditions conducive to the progressive replacement of imports by increasing the regional market and boosting the economy of different islands, which will generate more wealth."

In this regard, the government official revealed Azorean agri-food products will be promoted at strategic events, through the participation in trade fairs and business missions in the selected target markets; the calendar of events has already been defined.

In addition to the participation at SISAB, the largest food and drinks sector fair organised in Portugal, which started today, Azorean companies will also participate participate in ExpoMadeira, Alimentaria in Barcelona, Cape Verde International Fair and Gourmet Food and Wine Expo in Toronto, Canada.

"Hence, we aim to strengthen the presence of the main regional exporters and, simultaneously, allow smaller exporters to broaden their scope in areas where they may have competitive advantages and attract new markets, through the recognition of the Azores brand," said Sérgio Ávila.

The Vice-President of the Government also emphasised that the Government will carry out several mission to attract potential importers or investors that already know Azorean products, such as Madeira, Mainland Portugal and the traditional market niches of Europe, North America and North Africa.

Moreover, Sérgio Ávila drew attention to the "significant amendment to the support model for trade fairs organised in the Azores by the Chambers of Commerce," stressing that "support will be allocated to the fairs that exclusively promote Azorean products."

 Thus, our goal is to increase "the dissemination and marketing of goods and services that are exclusively produced in Azores" in order to boost the internal market and reduce imports.

In his speech, the Vice President recalled that regional companies face the challenge of strengthening their skills, their competitiveness and their promotion abroad. The Regional Government has stimulated and supported the accomplishment of these goals, through the implementation of measures to boost investments intended to expand the economic base of exports in a growing process of internationalisation suited characteristics of Azorean products and producers."

The Export Shop, the Support Line to Exports for Azorean Companies and the creation of the Azores brand were the measures mentioned by Sérgio Ávila to point out the support the Regional Government has made available by becoming a partner.

"Naturally, this partnership requires the competence, the ambition and the work of our economic agents as they play the most important role in this joint effort to bring the Azores forward," concluded Sérgio Ávila.