Industrial development in Argentine Patagonia

Industrial development is expanding in the Argentine provinces of Río Negro and Chubut through infrastructure investment and fiscal incentives aimed at diversifying local economies.

In Bariloche, the Productive Technological Industrial Park (PITBA) has grown to include over 110 companies, with dozens of construction and approval projects underway to support a mix of large factories and small service-based SMEs.

In Chubut, the provincial government is utilizing the Trelew Free Zone to stimulate growth through tax exemptions on imports, exports, and municipal rates. This initiative has reached a milestone with Pesquera Mediterráneo del Sur becoming the first company to establish operations within the Trelew Free Subzone. The company is repurposing a former textile facility to process shrimp, hake, and squid.

Governor Ignacio Torres and Trelew Mayor Gerardo Merino visited the site, noting that the plant is expected to begin operations by the end of the year. The project is projected to initially create more than 120 jobs, with the potential to reach up to 400 positions as development scales. Authorities indicated that the fishing sector in the region could see more than 600 new jobs by year-end as other export-related activities follow this model. The provincial government intends for this fiscal regime to provide “legal security and tax relief” to increase the export value of local resources, particularly within the fishing sector.