March 8 marks International Women's Day, a time to reflect on women’s contributions and their ongoing struggle for gender equity. To commemorate the day, FreshFruitPortal.com caught up with Argentinian agriculture engineer Betina Ernst, who has dedicated her life to following fruit markets.

As president of Top Info Marketing S.A., her days often involve studying investment projects, evaluating consumer trends and preparing market reports. At the root of her work is a love for and fascination with fruit.

“I like all fruits,” Ernst said. “I love navel oranges; I love ripe peaches at their peak. The important thing is that the fruits are consumed at the optimal time, when they’re ripe.”

In college, Ernst enrolled in a fruit growing course and found that she excelled in the subject matter.

“I knew all the apples because I had eaten them all, and my classmates had a hard time identifying them,” she said.

Over the years, she came to work for a company in Argentina interested in exports and began amassing information about the possibility.

“Due to the economic cycles that Argentina has, the export could not be carried out, but we had all the information,” she said.  "I realized that there was interest in these reports that did not exist in the country."

Ernst began to produce analysis for the citrus industry, a leading sector for Argentina. She then expanded her analysis to other products and areas.

Overcoming challenges

The president of the consulting firm recalled that when she was studying agronomy, she faced a sexist environment.

“My classmates always asked us for our notes, because women are more organized,” she said. “But for them, we were not competition, because we were going to get married and have children, so they didn’t consider us as professionals.”

She said most of her colleagues ended up working for the state institutions, like the Ministry of Agriculture. 

"And today the situation has changed,” she said. “They have reached key positions in Senasa. Several of the highest positions are held by women."

Ernst commented that before, in the private sector, it was very difficult to break in. 

“They didn't take you into consideration. Our generation suffered abuse. You went to a company and when you left, they threw away your CV. That has changed today,” she said. “I see that the girls who work with me, the young women, have much better access to private companies. They hire women and they know that they are very good workers.”

She sees now how women in the industry can leverage their strengths to make their mark.

“Being a woman is an advantage, because it distinguishes you more easily than among the mass of men,” she said. 

“I can contribute both to the fruit world, as well as to the country in terms of knowledge and being able to provide a service that did not exist."

She added that women often know intimately, out of obligation, how to manage work and family life. 

“I think it is the most difficult thing to achieve that balance between private life and professional life,” she said. “Women approach life in a more global way, and I think it is important that companies and governments have both visions for both men and women.”

She advised women to embrace their strengths and the characteristics that make them unique in their industry.