Although it is too early to talk about the Second Alfalfa Expo, which will take place on 16 and 17 March 2023, it is important to plan both dates in advance because it will bring interesting aspects, related to the production and marketing of pasture that will be important for producers who have already launched their projects. “Unlike the first, we will focus more on those aspects that have to do with the export and sale of the crop, and not so much on the production one, although there will also be recommendations, experiences and information,” said Alejandro. Marín, manager of the agricultural logistics and marketing program.
The exhibition is organized by the Secretary of State of San Luis Logística, in charge of Sebastián Lavandeira. It will have expert presentations on various topics, and field trips to experience what goes on at each stage of production of the highly sought-after perennial pasture from Middle Eastern countries, to which San Luis has been exporting since 2019.
It will be at the “Don Hugo” experimental plant, located at Km 718 of the RN-8, north of Villa Mercedes.
The grid of the meeting will be composed of topics such as “The economics of alfalfa”, which will be entrusted to Juan Vasquetto, agri-food specialist; Gustavo Pardo, general manager of the company Grow Frams, from Spain, will illustrate concepts on the “Applied Technology Platform”; Ezequiel García Corado, specialist in foreign trade, logistics and customs, will speak about the “Effects of the pandemic on the logistics chain”; on the “Evolution of foreign trade in Argentina”, will provide concepts Martín Aguirrezabala, director of international trade of Alfazal; Alfredo Abboud, President of the Argentine Company of Alfalfa and Forages, will speak on “Current news on the foreign trade of alfalfa”; INTA specialists, Ariel Odorizzi and Daniel Basigalup, will illustrate their research on “Genetic improvement of alfalfa”; the economist Carlos Seggiaro will speak on the “Challenges and opportunities of the production and export of alfalfa in Argentina”; on the “Economic impact of different hay qualities on meat and milk production. Local tests on live animals”, the results will be presented by Laura Guzmán, INTA researcher, together with Alejandro Vergés de Alfazal; They will also present the information obtained from the “Comparative tests on performance, persistence and adaptability”, by Mario Funes, also from INTA, who worked with Federico Costanzo, from Alfazal.
Reliable information. The Expo will have local, national and international speakers.
“We are also waiting for the official confirmation of the Doctor of Technology, Paul Sepúlveda, who comes from Chile and will speak about ‘Fecundation and new technologies’. We have an interesting proposition, that is, we create a space where participants can make connections and share information or experiences on cultivation and management, among other things,” said Marín.
“Also, the representatives of the companies that buy production from us and export it will add their knowledge so that producers know what the market is like. Then people from the Argentine Chamber of Alfalfa will speak who will make future projections. Another interesting talk, which will be held on the second day, will concern the new materials on the market. Another important aspect to take into consideration is fertilization. In other words, it will be a program that contemplates very varied aspects revolving around working with alfalfa,” the official said, adding that they will present data obtained from pasture production tests at the Don Hugo farm, “ that although there has been a lack of water, the results have been very good”.
We have high expectations, last year more than 250 producers interested in starting alfalfa cultivation participated. Alexander Marino
The expectations of the organizers are enormous, “more than 250 producers took part last year. Many of them have already started with the implementation of the harvest and others receive advice, but everything has been generated thanks to Expo 2021. In addition, other companies from different provinces have come to copy the model that we have in San Luis, which has a compaction plant attached to the logistics area,” the official said.
Furthermore, Marín has announced that for next year it expects to exceed 15,000 tons of alfalfa. “We are starting the season now, during the week the first shipment of what is part of the 2022/2023 campaign left. It’s 500 tons and we have to fulfill a contract of 5 thousand. There are other commitments that have not yet been signed because we too are suffering from the lack of rain, but we are making progress,” he specified.
In the second edition of the Expo they will also present the new compacting format, “the machine that we will incorporate in these days will allow us to make mega bales of 45 kilos. With this we focus more on the internal market than on exports. Unlike last year, where we emphasized machinery and technology, the next edition will focus on sales. In addition, we will have companies that will offer products and inputs, machinery and services,” said Marín.
The official explained that they have decided to move the date of the second edition to next year because “it will be when we have the results of the alfalfa being planted. Last year we did it earlier because the crops had been planted that same year, we managed to make a cut, but for better results we set a new date later. We don’t throw it back from March because the soybean harvest starts in April and the producers will focus on other tasks and we won’t have the same turnout,” concluded Marín.
Writing / NTV
