There are new agribusiness investments in San Juan despite the difficult context marked by the current financial crisis, cost inflation, low dollar, the consequent lack of international competitiveness and the setbacks of the Argentine trade policy in world markets.
This week, the Diario de Cuyo newspaper visited the new raisins processing, packaging and exporting plant of Industrias Melo e Hijos SA, and spoke with businessman Guillermo Melo, who stated this company's "parent company is Industrias Melo, from the construction field."
"We have three farms engaged in the production of seedless raisins, one in 9 de Julio, another in 25 de Mayo and the last one in Cañada Honda, where we produce, in a staggered manner, all of the grapes for drying. That way we can take care of the products excellent quality from the beginning of the crop cycle," he said.
"In total, we cultivate 200 hectares of implanted varieties. These varieties are the Sultanina, Flame, 351 Arizul, Fiesta and Superior varieties and we cultivate the same area for each. The idea is to extend the drying cycle in a staggered manner since December, beginning with the Fiesta variety, then the Sultanina, followed by the Flame variety and ending with the 351 to better capitalize on the dryers," he said.
"This also allows us to reduce quality risks due to adverse weather, such as the frost that affected more than 50% of the production of the early varieties last year but that didn't affect the later varieties. It's the same thing for the dryers, which we use gradually and is less affected by the rains."
Guillermo Melo said: "Next year we will increase the cultivated area by 160 hectares in 25 de Mayo, with the same varieties and equal proportions. But now with new technologies, such as drying in the same plant as California has been doing for 20 years."
"We started our first farms in 1978 with grape cherry crops and then, since 2008, started reconverting everything to seedless varieties, all with American rootstock, as the new DOV pruning system requires the plants to have a good root that is resistant to diseases and pests such as nematodes," he said.
The Melo family made all of these investments from their own pockets, without any tax deferral or credits, they said, "through our own effort, as our forefathers taught us."
The weather
The Melo family does produce raisins in San Juan by chance. The desert's hot and dry climate allows them to dry the grapes in the provincial oasis as the sun is optimal with intense summer temperatures and low rainfall of about 92 millimetres a year; which allows them to get dried fruits and grapes and of an excellent quality.
So much so that the province produces 95% of all the raisins in Argentina and is responsible for 98% of the exports of this product.
The new plant
"We started the drying facility in 1988 and started building this new plant two years ago. We started to process the grapes for export in this plant a few days ago," said Melo.
"Our facility is 4,200 square meters big including the sheds, the input's warehouse, the dirty side for washing and the clean side of the plant to pick and pack the products. It was all designed taking into consideration the requirements for food safety and quality management," he added.
"It's a small plant but its adequate for our own production for about three or four months and it allows us to generate added value," he said, and then added: "The idea is to be able to extend the processing months to eight or nine per year so we can tend the to the harvesting and drying of the grapes in the sun."
"Our goal is to defend the price of own production and generate added value. To do this, we have incorporated the latest technology," he said.
Finally he said: "Currently, our company's business objective is to export. Before, we used to supply other raisin producers. We started this year by selling to Brazil and to the domestic market and the idea is to move into other markets."
Source: diariodecuyo.com.ar