USSEC recently provided trade service to major clients in Ecuador.

USSEC consultant Gerardo Luna traveled to Ecuador together with consultants Francisco Cabrera and Ronald Perez to conduct seminars for APROBAL – purchasing pool in Guayaquil; the Ministry of Agriculture and AFABA – the Feed Manufacturers Association and import pool in Quito, and conduct a detailed technical meeting with PRONACA, the largest food / feed processor in the country in Quito.
The seminars’ programs were designed to provide a solid and integral recap of key items relevant to purchasing of grains and oilseeds; and to introduce audiences to the maritime freight markets, market indicators and behavior, the breakdown of a quote, and highlights of a freight contract.  From there, participants worked to differentiate terms and conditions between Free On Board (FOB) and Cost, Insurance and Freight (CIF) and evaluate a potential transition from the CIF.  The goal was for participants to gain an in-depth view of what a purchasing book is, its nature, scope and practical recommendations on how to manage it, and the benefits resulting from a sound planning and execution of the procurement function.
The team of consultants also worked with a group of middle officers and analysts from the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries (MAGAP) in Quito that reports to the Undersecretary for Agricultural Marketing.  This resulted in a unique opportunity to further service their actual needs of training looking at the markets, analyzing and reporting – providing the actual decision-making support for the undersecretary in charge of import tariffs and licenses.