Former motorist and current papermaker Walter Hernández will be a pioneer in the use of fertilizers with a near-zero carbon balance.
Walter Hernández was born on August 21, 1965 in Comandante Nicanor Otamendi, province of Buenos Aires. He has formed a solid family that has the blessing of two children, he has inherited from his father not only the love of potatoes, but also a common passion: motor racing. He was Olimpia de Plata, Konex Award, won championships and several runners-up.
In 2000 he started his own company: El Parque Papas, while managing and working in his father’s company. When his father died in 2003, he took over the family business and his business. He had promised to quit motor racing when something happened to his father, because he knew he always suffered a lot when he fought for the championship, “it was like he was racing alongside me,” says Hernández. From that moment he stopped racing and devoted himself completely to these two companies.
Parque Papas starts working with 50 hectares, today it already has 1000 hectares for potato production for fresh consumption, sticks and chips. In addition, seed potatoes for both domestic and export markets.
This company has always tried to innovate with new varieties and bet on sustainability. For example, for the operation of the tractors they use fuels that allow them to save 25% of consumption, irrigation motors with special designs to consume less diesel/hour/meter3. This continuous improvement has been implemented for 8 years; aim that potato crops have as low a carbon footprint as possible.
Hernández comments: “I got to know Yara through its sales representatives and the quality and traceability of its products caught my attention right from the start. Likewise, they have complied with deliveries in a timely manner, which meant for me a seal of seriousness from the Yara company, on its part, after identifying this client by its characteristics of sustainability, seriousness and commitment to work and potential of innovation has decided to present the Green Fertilizers project which will start next year.
Through the Green Ammonia project, Yara will invest in green technology for ammonia production starting in 2023 using renewable energy (solar, wind or hydro). With this transformation, a further 80-90% reduction in the carbon footprint of nitrate fertilizers is expected to be achieved.
Regarding the signing of the Green Fertilizers Agreement; “It meant continuing with what to me was outlined as a commitment to the environment, because using fertilizers with near-zero emissions will be a milestone in the world, which is on that path. Not only with fertilizers, but with everything that goes into production, trying to have the lowest possible carbon footprint is important for El Parque Papas. Being selected by Yara for this project has shown me that I am on the right track in what we set out to do as a company,” he says.
“The achievement of this result is the result of more than 7 years of work together with El Parque Papas. We started by testing a few products to maximize yield per hectare, always focusing on efficient use of nutrients. Today El Parque Papas uses our nutritional solution which already has a lower environmental impact. The next obvious step to further reduce your carbon footprint is to use green fertilizers produced from renewable energy to make a big impact without making changes to normal production practices. For me it is a great achievement to see the results of a lot of work reflected in this agreement and I think it will be a milestone in the history of Yara, El Parque Papas and why not? The world,” says Josefina Omaña, Project Manager in Argentina.
