With the goal of substituting imports, the Argentine Ministry of Agriculture announced financial support Friday to boost kiwifruit production in the Buenos Aires province, infocampo.com.ar reported.

The ministry and Banco Nación will fund a subsidized credit line for small producers in the area to improve productivity.

Rural economic development secretary Luciano Di Tella led a meeting with producers and marketers, including the Mar del Plata Kiwifruit Chamber, to promote the government program.

The measure seeks to recover the industry that was devasted by crisis in the 1990s and avoid higher fruit imports. It also hopes to improves exportable volume.

The goal, according to the Argentine website, is to add 2,000 additional hectares of planted orchards. Currently, it is estimated that there are 800 hectares of kiwifruit plantations in Argentina, mostly in the Buenos Aires province.

The meeting Friday also debated imposing import regulations on incoming fruit during Argentina's production season from February to May.

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