In areas of the Rafael Herrera Pavilion of the UNCA, a document prepared by ECLAC (Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean), the UNCA and the provincial government, called “Guidelines for sustainable and balanced productive specialization and diversification in the province of Catamarca”.
The event took place with the presence of the rector of the UNCA, Eng. Oscar Arellano, the governor of the province, Raúl Jalil, the vice governor, Rubén Dusso, the minister of Industry, Commerce and Employment, Sebastián Caria, the minister of Economy, Alejandra Nazareno and the director of the ECLAC Office in Argentina, Martín Abeles, among other academic authorities and the general public.
The Rector indicated, after the presentation, that UNCA teachers and professionals took part in the study, which was done with the objective of “focusing on where to specialize and diversify. In this sense, this is a first document that was made based on all the activities that are carried out and a kind of diagnosis with which we, as people from Catamarca, agree, since it is based on and reflected in technical-scientific knowledge and linked to ECLAC, which is not a minor issue.”
Arellano considered that data on productivity and the topics covered by the document are frequently scarce, so “it is necessary and essential to access this information, at the same time as it is a starting point to agree on the policies that must be carried out.” “, held.
He also added that some of the points that the document touches on, such as organic production, are already part of the academic offering of the University, “such as the Diploma in Production and Marketing of Organic Products, which we have had for eight years and is unique in Argentina and the Loom Weaving Diploma, which links to wool production and adds value to it.”
Finally, the Rector anticipated that in terms of tourism (another issue addressed in the document), “there is much to do and we lack citizen awareness regarding the value of tourism.” Regarding this, he said that UNCA will soon launch Diplomas in Sustainable Tourism Management with orientation in different specialties, such as religious, rural, mining tourism, etc.
The governor of the province, Raúl Jalil, in turn, highlighted the importance of ECLAC and stated that “this is the first step we are taking. “We have been talking with the Rector and the Minister of Economy, so that we can start working so that Catamarca has a consumer price index (…) and start measuring some data to have the greatest amount of information possible for decision making” .
Likewise, he anticipated that a government delegation will soon travel to Italy to promote foreign trade in Catamarca products such as vicuña fabrics, which he mentioned, highlighting the recent creation of the Loom Weaving Diploma.
In turn, the ECLAC representative explained that the production of the document “would not have been possible without the financial support of the European Union.”
Regarding this, he explained that the instrument consists of a diagnosis, which identifies a series of opportunities for scaling and diversification of Catamarca’s productive system. “It does so by distinguishing the degrees of complexity in the productive sectors and different horizons for achieving each of the goals that the province sets.”
It is important to mention that ECLAC is an organization dedicated to economic research dependent on the United Nations Organization and responsible for promoting the economic and social development of the region.
