The concern of a group of producers from northern Córdoba was transformed into an enterprise that crossed borders and generated a national network in 11 provinces that is integrated through a cluster and continues to add allies. This month a delegation visited Spain; and they will also go to Canada
A little over two years ago, the Córdoba Alfalfa Cluster went from being a venture of a handful of producers in the northern part of the province to becoming an example of cooperation and national synergy between producers and companies related to the cultivation of alfalfa and its value chain.
Fabián Russo, president of the group, explained details of its origin, current challenges and activities they are developing. “The cluster was born out of the concern of a group of producers from the Jesús María area who were already seeing that alfalfa could be a business opportunity. We started asking to see how we could organize ourselves and a cluster was formed. Today we are already extending it to 11 Argentine provinces because of the 21 partners that we were born, we are already 91 partners, among which are producers, suppliers, industrializers, and marketers.”
The representative assured that, from the beginning, the synergy that its members provide was surprising. “The truth is that the experience is very good; We are very surprised because all the members who join already come with the spirit of sharing. We are very struck by the number of second and third generations of producers: there are many young people who really understood the field from another perspective, which is no longer ‘I’ll take the knowledge I have and keep it to myself.’ In this sense he highlighted: “We have a motto that is win-win: here we all win and we all learn and we all contribute and we also all get out,” he said.
They saw the business
The change in awareness about a product that was historically reserved – in a high percentage to the demand of each company – emerged as a vision in response to the need for pastures that some countries show. “We realized that it was part of the agricultural rotations and the demand that there was especially in the countries of Southeast Asia, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, China, Japan, and we began to see the demand statistics and we were surprised. ; So, we took the path slowly, some exports were made, with very bad experiences – which must also be told – and from then on we realized that there is a great opportunity for our country.”
In this regard, he affirms that alfalfa production can be considered a business with a great future, comparable to soybeans. “With the cluster we are opening the doors through agreements, courses, training so that quality hay for export can be achieved.”
The challenge of “crossing the pond”
The venture maintains its focus on the export business. Russo assures that the technology currently being worked with in our country is cutting-edge, although obstacles still have to be overcome. “The cluster has partners who have technology that is applied in Germany and France. In terms of production, we have technology, we still need a little jump, which is the preparation of the hay so that it ‘crosses the pond’ in the containers, dehydrators and press. We recently visited Spain to see these models and then we will go to Canada to see others, and see which one best adapts to Argentina.”
In this sense, from June 1 to 10, cluster partners participated in a trip through Spain, the second world power in the hay market. During their tour, they developed an agenda aimed at learning about production experiences, industrialization and international business opportunities related to alfalfa. The itinerary included technical meetings with industries related to compacting, dehydrating, and pelletizing, generating links that allow for opportunities in the global market. They visited productive farms in various regions such as Toledo and Aragon, and the northwest basin of the Iberian country, making contact with producers of alfalfa megabales and pellets such as the company Cofocyl SL, whose annual exports exceed 80,000 tons.
In addition, they were at the Cooperativa Agropal, one of the largest plants in Spain, whose products are destined almost entirely for export. They also shared a meeting with authorities from the Spanish Association of Alfalfa Manufacturers (AEFA), an entity that brings together 80% of the hay industrial plants. The delegation also visited the plants of the companies Imabe, which manufactures machinery for compacting alfalfa hay, and Apisa, which produces alfalfa dehydrators and pelletizers.
