The MAF is consolidated in Cerro Largo as a reference point
The Agrarian Cooperative, which in addition to managing its sales center at the intersection of Avenida España and de las Américas in the city of Melo, undertakes other actions, has become a point of reference for family production in the department.
Beyond some damage caused by the high temperatures at the end of December, the weather has been favorable, which has allowed for good production.
“For us this is the harvest of the year, it begins in November to be accentuated in December with the holidays and together with January and February for the greens, lettuce and tomatoes, it is the time of greatest sales. This means that we must be higher in production” held Alfredo Olivera.
“The very high temperatures affected crops that were not well protected. There was a significant fire and apart from that, the plant is already suffering from water stress that makes its growth difficult. There was havoc on the properties of several producers” confirmed to THE DIARY PROFESSIONAL.
The greatest damage was seen in lettuce plantations, mainly in the open air, given that at this time of year the planting area multiplies to cover demand.
“In the rest, in the farms, it is very good. In that sense we are having an excellent year. The crops of sweet potatoes, melons and pumpkins are very strong, very beautiful. It has been rainy which means that there are good harvest prospects” said the member of the Family Agricultural Market Cooperative. “The zucchini part is going well. Those crops that can withstand the sun a little longer and the rains have been very good for them” said. “What has been affected are, apart from lettuce, chard and parsley. Where high temperatures catch them without shade protection or under shaded greenhouses, they are the ones that have suffered a lot” he insisted.
“The low dollar has benefited the producer” he assured. “We buy everything in Dollars because all the inputs are in the US currency, which makes us a little more encouraging when it comes to buying them. The prices are balanced, in normal values. It has not risen as much as other years at this time when the prices of lettuce and chard have skyrocketed. This year they are normal” reported Alfredo Olivera.
MARKET OPERATION
“The MAF has been working, always betting on more production” synthesized the Cerro Largo producer. “It is stable. It always declines a little at this time of year, which is normal in January” accurate. “He is stable, working and with growth prospects” advancement.
“The important thing in this is that growth prospects do not fall, that some producers always continue to join and in the summer someone always joins in” express. “In spring and summer we always have new producers who, although they are seasonal, help the day-to-day life of the Market” broad.
COMPOSTING PLANT
“The Composting Plant agreement was signed with the Municipality” Olivera confirmed.
He recalled that this is an agreement that has a duration of 10 years. “Progress is being made in what is going to be the production of compost” he commented.
“The MAF Cooperative is also part of the PROCEL cooperative called the Cerro Largo Entrepreneurs Network” revealed. “We aim to have a common location on the new Paseo Don Francisco. We believe that we must open several doors so that every day we can get to know each other better and be more visible to the entire department” broad.
“Although we are indebted to the quantity of production, we believe that the visibility that the Agricultural Market and the Cooperative has given to family production in general because we are not only talking about products of horticultural origin, but about everything else: poultry, beekeeping and canned goods, has been very important” stood out.
“We hope to continue down this path, that they know us, that they know the work we are doing, with the difficulties that sometimes exist, but the fact that the MAF is there opens doors for the future” Alfredo Olivera, a member of the Family Agricultural Market Agrarian Cooperative, closed.
