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Agribusiness: Sustainability as the Key to Foreign Investment

June 5, 2025
Sustainability is emerging as a key factor in gaining access to demanding international markets and attracting foreign investment in the agricultural sector. This was stated by Cecilia Pattarino, who emphasized that responsible, value-added production is now a competitive advantage for Uruguay on the global stage.
*Forbes Agro Summit. Photo credit: Diego Olivera / Forbes Uruguay*

Agricultural engineer Cecilia Pattarino, a specialist in agribusiness investments, participated in the panel discussion “Value Added and Market Access” at the Forbes Agro Summit, held on May 29 at the Hyatt Hotel and organized by Forbes Uruguay magazine.

During the discussion—which he participated in alongside Francisco Bonino (Society of Forestry Producers) and Nicolás Sapelli (Nativa), moderated by journalist Andrés Oyhenard—Pattarino emphasized the importance of sustainability in attracting investment and in promoting Uruguayan agriculture internationally.

Pattarino has in Agricultural Engineering from the University of the Republic and has Specialization Diploma in Sustainable Agribusiness from Universidad ORT Uruguay. She specializes in business development and investment in the agricultural sector. She currently serves as an agribusiness investment specialist at Uruguay XXI.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-5GQo1Dx08

During her appearance at the Forbes Agro Summit, Cecilia Pattarino highlighted the growing international interest in the country's agricultural export sector.

He noted that, over the past four years, Uruguay has received 300 foreign direct investment proposals. Of those, 20% are in agribusiness.

This is a very significant figure, not only because of the number of ads, but also because of the ripple effect it has on the creation of quality jobs and investment funds.

According to data shared at the event, Uruguay received approximately $7.8 billion in foreign direct investment over a five-year period, underscoring the country’s appeal for high-value-added manufacturing projects.

*Cecilia Pattarino at the Forbes Agro Summit. Photo credit: Diego Olivera / Forbes Uruguay*

Pattarino emphasized that Uruguay offers a combination of strengths:

  • economic, political, and social reliability and stability;
  • ease of doing business and tax incentives;
  • social and governance sustainability, as well as environmental sustainability;
  • talent and quality of life.

The expert emphasized that Uruguay must constantly adapt to new international requirements: “We need to figure out how we can provide incentives to make production increasingly sustainable and generate greater economic spillover.”