San Rafael continues to bet strongly on fruit products. As such, the department already has more than 12,000 hectares of plums and it is becoming the largest producer of the fruit at the provincial level. Long ago, plum crops were not one of the main bets of the producers of the department, but the increase in profitability in the crop has prompted many producers to choose it.
Back in 2008, the department had 9,426 hectares of plum, according to the provincial Agricultural Census 2014. In 2009 some 800 hectares were planted, and there were more than 11,000 hectares of the crop in 2010. In the last five years the growth has been gradual, reaching more than 12,000 hectares last year.
Alongside the growth of plum crops, the dried industry, the main destination of this operation, has grown in the region. San Rafael accounts for 90% of the province's exports of dried plum, according to an article published in the San Rafael Journal a few weeks ago.
The international markets to which this fruit is allocated are mainly Brazil and the European Union, where local producers found a large consumption of dried products, which have also become one of the most flourishing industries. Goudge, Rama Caida, El Cerrito, Cuadro Benegas and Cuadro Nacional are he districts where most of the plums are concentrated in the department.
Source: diariosanrafael.com.ar