Artigas projects itself to the world with Más Comercio, which promoted export development from the north of the country

Uruguay XXI continues to tour the country with its program Más Comercio. Más mercados, más inversión (More Trade. More Markets, More Investment), which will strengthen its presence in the interior in 2025 by providing concrete tools for the internationalization of companies. On Tuesday, July 22, it was Artigas’ turn, and the event was held with a large turnout of entrepreneurs, small businesses, and actors from the local ecosystem.

The meeting offered a specialized workshop on the first steps to exporting and the possibility of applying for personalized mentoring, which the participants highly valued. Representatives from companies such as PM Artesanías, Volcán Estufas Ecológicas, Quantum Homeopatía, and Inaquafarm took advantage of the opportunity to exchange ideas and receive guidance from the Uruguay XXI technical team, focused on strengthening their export strategy.

In addition, an exporting company from the department shared its experiences of overcoming obstacles and positioning itself in international markets in an inspiring testimonial space for those seeking to embark on this path.

Support from the region

The event was attended by the mayor of Artigas, Emiliano Soravilla, who shared his vision of the department’s export potential.

“For us, it is essential to have an organization like Uruguay XXI, which has advisory tools for traders, entrepreneurs, and local industry.

Often, businesses fail to get off the ground due to a lack of information or access to all the government tools available. “As a departmental administration, we are interested in economic development, job creation, developing local trade, and training people to generate knowledge,” he said.

Soravilla stressed the need to bring information and support to entrepreneurs in the country’s north. “Often, people think that what they need to get started is the initial push, but in reality, it’s the other way around. The push is there, but what’s missing is the follow-up to keep them on track. Support throughout the process,” he emphasized.

In this regard, he valued the synergy generated between the public and private sectors and stressed that although they may seem imperceptible, government actions greatly help trade and entrepreneurs. “Being in contact also makes us more efficient,” he said.

Stone, the star product

Soravilla detailed the department’s productive capacities and recalled that Artigas is synonymous with semi-precious stones. “We have a large mining-industrial segment that exports, but we also have local artisans who make excellent products and have not yet managed to access export markets,” he explained.

Consolidating a vision of sustainable development for the stone industry involves, according to Soravilla, investing in productive transformation and greater sophistication of the export process. “The challenge is to increase the added value of the stone before exporting it. I believe there is enormous potential, and what sets us apart is precisely our unique product and its internationally recognized quality,” he argued.

The mayor stressed the need to continue coordinating inter-institutional support. “To position Artigas as an exporter from the interior of the country, it is essential to have the support of institutions that deal with these issues, have the know-how, and can provide advice. We are very far from the capital, products do not leave from Artigas, they usually leave from the airport or the port, so we need assistance, and that is precisely where the public sector and the advice that agencies such as those visiting us today can provide come in,” he said.

Since its creation in 2022, Más Comercio has visited every department in the country. In 2025, it visited Maldonado, Canelones, and San José before arriving in Artigas. Throughout these meetings, it has established itself as a strategic tool for promoting the internationalization of companies from the interior, generating connections, training, and opportunities.

The edition of Más Comercio in Artigas was supported by a group of national and departmental public agencies and institutions working for business development in the country’s interior. The Municipality of Artigas accompanied this event, the SME Centers of the National Development Agency (ANDE), the Uruguayan Postal Service, the Banco República (BROU), the Technological Laboratory of Uruguay (LATU), the MYPE Exporta program, the National Institute for Employment and Professional Training (INEFOP), and the Ministry of Industry, Energy, and Mining, through Dinapyme. This inter-institutional coordination reinforces the objective of bringing concrete tools for internationalization, mentoring, and financing to entrepreneurs and small businesses with export potential in the country’s north.