Interview: Marco Antonio Herrera Oropeza|Startup Europe Awards México

Marco Antonio Herrera Oropeza holds a Bachelor´s Degree in Business Administration from Universidad Tecnológica de México (UNITEC); he also holds an MBA from Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education (ITESM) Campus Puebla; and studies in rural development and advanced management for the agrifood chain by the IPADE Business School.

He has more than 15 years of expertise in the Mexican agri-food sector; he has collaborate with public institutions such as SAGARPA, INAPESCA and rural INCA, currently is counselor in developing public policies, rural extension models, working skills and he is also the founder of the StartUp Europe Awards Mexico initiative.

Marco has been a part of projects such as agrifood, livestock, fisheries and aquaculture chain development through rural extension models, and capacity building. He was involved in the methodological development of the Agricultural Planning in Mexico, as an institutional public policy. He also collaborated in agro-logistic projects with SAGARPA and grain storage strategies with the International Centre for Maize and Wheat Improvement (CIMMyT, in Spanish).

Marco shares that: “The agrifood sector has become a strategic sector for Mexico and has a very important potential worldwide. This sector takes the tenth position worldwide in terms of exports. After the entry into force of NAFTA, Mexico achieved a surplus commercial balance, hence the significance of this sector for the economy of our country, now more than ever.

1. What do you think are the most important challenges of the agrifood sector in Mexico?

This sector should accelerate its incorporation into the new digital technologies, modernizing business models and decision-making. By doing so, it will improve its competitiveness worldwide, and it will provide the end consumer with new services and products in accordance with market trends.

There is an overall interest in both the agrifood sector and society of having a dynamic agrifood community, which is capable of investing, be adjustable, and protect the environment, by starting a business, and with an economic and business vision for the future.

2. How important is innovation for companies in Mexico?

Business innovation is key for this the country’s development. In Mexico, research and innovation especially in the agrifood sector requires a better structure and liaison to develop more innovation and increase their access to new technologies.

The entrepreneurial environment in México evidences major advances; however, the agrifood sector requires greater efforts to create ecosystems, which become the grounds for new technologies, innovations and agro-technology businesses.

3. What are the main opportunities you can see for farming companies in Sinaloa?

Without a doubt, companies engaged in innovation for agrifood sector have had major advances nationwide. Sinaloa has the potential to generate an ecosystem to detonate the technological investment to migrate into an agriculture 4.0.

There are significant technological advances that are being applying to improve the state development, mostly in matters of food safety, vegetable nutrition, postharvest management, new hybrids and equipment, and crop management software. It is very encouraging that growers in Sinaloa are open to innovation, mostly in export products such as vegetables, fruits, shrimp, and beef.

4. What is Startup Europe Awards Mexico?

It is a non-profit implemented in Europe in 2015, through which an annual contest is organized in order to identify and encourage young enterprises with high scaling potential and a strong technological component. In this first edition for Mexico, the purpose of the contest is to consolidate the agro-entrepreneurship ecosystem and promoting the startups towards new markets in a more competitive manner.

Each category will have an interdisciplinary jury that will evaluate the level of innovation, economic impact, jobs creation, environmental problems-solving, value generation, social development, among others.

Registrations will be open until May 5, 2019, and can be sumitted at the www.startupeuropeawardsmexico.org website, where each company should read the terms and fill out the relevant form for each category.

The evaluation process will be carried out throughout an online platform that ensures its transparency in the stages of registration, evaluation and result dissemination.

The award consists of an acceleration ticket with a $15,000 USD value, including training and technical support in Brussels, Belgium an annual consultancy program in Mexico, an advisory program to enhance access to funding opportunities offered by the EU, and the incorporation to a contact network that promotes Startups investments.

The award ceremony in each of the participating categories will take place within the AGROFEST and First Entrepreneurship Meeting to be held in November of this year in Mexico City.

5. What institutions are collaborating with you in order to promote innovation and entrepreneurship in Mexico, particularly in Sinaloa?

Among the strategic partners accompanying us in Sinaloa are the Mexican Association of Protected Horticulture (AMHPAC), Eleven Rivers Growers, the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education Campus Culiacan, Fundación Produce Sinaloa, A.C., and we have contacted Grupo Ceres, the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Sinaloa (CODESIN) and the Asociación de Agricultores del Río Fuerte Sur  (AARFS).

At national level, we have partnered with the Mexican Association of Seed Growers (AMSAC), FIRA, the Innovagro Network of IICA, the National Coordination of Produce Foundations (COFUPRO), VIDA initiative that brings together the efforts of companies such as MINSA, GRUMA, Nestlé, Pepsico, the Agrifood and Fisheries Information Service (SIAP) and other institutions that have been joining to this initiative.

We count with the support of specialized media such as Agrosintesis, Agriculture Blog, SSP, Agropecuario portal, InfoAgro, Agrotendencia TV and Entrepreneur.

It is important to stand out that we have identified at least 3 Startups registered in this event, mostly in the Agtech category.

6. How do you think young people could get involved and interested in agriculture?

Young people are definitely agents of social change and economic development of this country. They are very involved with technology and have become familiar with smart platforms. There is an important task to develop, so that the field becomes attractive for this sector of society; in fact, we have been working in this matter hand by hand AGROTEC, an alumni association of Monterrey Institute of Technology, and we have recently held meetings with ANUIES.

The liaison of young people with agricultural activity is necessary; let’s not forget that the average age for people working in the field is 60 years or more. However, it is exactly in innovation and agro-technology where we find room for young entrepreneurs to join this sector and get involved in several disciplines. The field requires them, I believe one way to generate interest in agricultural activity is to understand and disseminate that the field is a business in which they can develop themselves and come up with new ideas to boost their competitiveness.

7. How important do you consider is social responsibility for farming companies?

Social responsibility is of the utmost importance, today we can see how important agribusinesses in the northern Mexico have changed their organizational management practices. The social responsibility policy has aimed at improving working conditions of growers and their workers in terms of health, education, work, as well showing an interest in developing their skills and abilities, which contributes to achieving a better quality of life.

This reality has gradually spread to other companies that have become aware of how important the workforce is, other than this; the benefits for farming companies are higher productivity levels, increases in profitability, and high levels of competitivity. Nowadays, markets are rewarding the companies, which are integrating social responsibility into their business models with better prices and greater purchase volumes.

8. Is there anything else you would like to add?

I would like to thank you for this space, and invite all of those companies that have developed an innovation in the agri-food sector that are disruptive, to participate in the StartUp Europe Awards Mexico and become a part of the agro-entrepreneur ecosystem. Thank you.