Argentina: Extraberries plans to harvest 2.500 tons of blueberries

13/10/2015

The company Extraberries SA, located in the town of Yatasto, Department of Metán, has great expectations for this season: they estimate that 2.500 tons of blueberries will be harvested in the plantations they own in the south of the province of Salta.

In October of last year a hail storm that hit the area devastated approximately 1,000 tons of fruit that was going to be harvested from the different batches of the company, so that activities ended abruptly. The losses were heavy.

Yatasto currently has the largest blueberry production in Argentina and South America. The company has state-of-the-art technology in its modern packing plant.

«We have very good expectations for this campaign, after the bad year we had in 2014 due to hail and in 2013, when we were hit hard by frost. "We are confident and working hard to make this a good harvest.", said Agustín Cornejo, manager of Extraberries SA.

The doctor from Salta confirmed that the field is full of fruit, but we must bear in mind that not all mature at the same time, it does gradually.

«This year the weather is very cool and we are waiting for the heat so that the lots explode definitively and we can harvest the amount we need to export to the United States and Europe», highlighted El Tribuno.

Cornejo said that most of the people who are currently working on the packaging, in the field and in other sectors of the firm are from San José de Metán and other towns in the south of the province.

«This, in addition to being an agricultural company, has a great social responsibility. "We also receive criticism, that is why we invite you to get to know it and see the reality of what we do with a lot of effort and with a work team made up mainly of residents of the area," remarked.

Lack of labor

On the other hand, José María Royo, who serves as an advisor to the firm, confirmed to this morning that they do not manage to obtain in the provincial south the amount of harvesters needed to collect the fruits of the 197 hectares that the firm owns.

«The company needs 3.000 people. "There are 2.500 harvesters, 300 for the packaging sector and another 200 for general tasks.", detailed Royo.

He reported that despite an intensive media campaign in the media and appealing to other strategies such as street advertising, they did not manage to obtain enough personnel in the south of the province of Salta.

«We have registered 2.942 people in total; 1.515 from San José de Metán, 981 from Rosario de la Frontera, 218 from El Galpón, 117 from Río Piedras, 21 from Lumbreras and 90 from General G emes. But then 545 did not even show up for the concern's medical examination. And, for example, from San José de Metán another 100 completed these procedures, but did not show up to collect their credentials to enter., detailed Royo.

The advisor of the firm that produces blueberries of different varieties noted that there are currently 1.684 harvesters working in the field and that they lack 816 to cover the needs, so they must turn to contractors who bring people from other provinces and countries from abroad like Bolivia.

Source: Eltribuno.info.com