A delegation of small farmers from Chimbarongo's berry association highlighted the production and trade experiences they had in their visit to orchards in Neuquen.
The forty-two producers of this technical tour, which had the support of the Foundation for Agrarian Innovation (FIA), were headed by the president of Chimbarongo's berry association, Hector Osorio; its director and project manager, Jose Cabello, and the counselor and adviser Raul Gonzalez, plus the head of INDAP Area of San Fernando, Adriana Amaro.
For three days, they visited enterprises dedicated to the production of berries in the department of Confluence (Neuquen).
The group was guided by technicians from the Berry Program of the SME-Adeneu Center. Among other places, the Chilean producers, which produce raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries, visited the El Recreo, La Piedad, Villa Fertile, Viento Sur, Los Garcia, and La Esperanza enterprises. They also went to the processing facility of Nahuel sweet strawberries, in Plottier.
The group also visited the cultivars where the SME-Adeneu Center and Patagonia Berries test their hybrid blackberries, and saw a demonstration of the prototype of a mechanized raspberry harvester that was developed by Patagonia's Chamber of Berry Producers (Caproffpa) and different public entities, such as the SME-Adeneu Center and the Ministry of Science and Technology of the Nation, among others.
The undersecretary of production, Silvana Moschini, was in charge of welcoming the producers at the beginning of the technical tour. After welcoming them, the delegation saw an exhibition regarding the characteristics and particularities of the berry sector in the Province of Neuquen and in Northern Patagonia. They were also told about the mission of the SME-Adeneu Center and the actions being carried out through the Berry Program. All the enterprises that were visited receive technical assistance, financing, and training from the Province, through the SME-Adeneu Center.
Adriana Amaro, the head of INDAP San Fernando Area, said the Chilean producers had seen some good ideas to add value to their products, as some establishments in Neuquén practice agricultural tourism, produce preserves and jams in direct contact with local consumers.
Hector Osorio, the president of Chimbarongo's berry association, said they had had a very positive experience, because their group included the leaders of the association as well as farmers that cultivated berries . "We saw very important things that we hope to accomplish in Chile. We found it particularly interesting to see that all growers use irrigation technology, which greatly simplifies the work, considering that 30% of the producers of our association are women. In addition, they can also apply fertilizers directly to the crops through irrigation," he said.
He also highlighted the existence of cold rooms in all the properties, which makes it possible to preserve the fruit and sell it at any time of year.
The project director and manager of Chimbarongo's berry association, Jose Cabello, said that, even though they had made Chimbarongo well-known for its berry production, as they produce nearly 90% of these fruits at the regional level, they still had some way to go to get closer to the final consumer and to add value to their product.
Raul Gonzalez said they need to generate a trading platform to output the fruit through a logistics chain, transport, and development of outlets of their own, that not only sell fresh fruit but also added value items. However, they would have to do this step by step so that it is sustainable.
Maria Alarcon, a producer from Chimbarongo, said that, what had attracted her the most, was the spirit of cooperation between the farmers and the cozy rooms where their peers in Neuquen sold their value-added products.
Source: elurbanorural.cl
