- Since 2015, Grupo Palmas has been working in the Ucayali region, a model of Productive Chains that seeks to transfer value to the palm producer, improve their productivity and generate progress.
In Peru, more than 7000 families have transformed their lives thanks to the palm. A sustainable production of this crop is an alternative for the Amazon regions, and fundamentally for Ucayali, the palm region par excellence, where this crop is key to its economic and social development.
Technification and training are opening new and better opportunities to farmers in the Amazon, as is the case with more than 600 palm growers who are part of the Grupo Palmas Productive Chains program, who for more than 5 years have been receiving technical assistance on agronomic management responsible and training on fertilization, plant health, among others. In addition, they have facilities to acquire seedlings and fertilizers at low cost. In this way, one of the objectives of the Grupo Palmas Productive Chains model is met: to professionalize the palm grower and improve their productivity with sustainable agricultural practices.
Grupo Palmas develops production chains in San Martín, Loreto and Ucayali, and the program ensures responsible purchasing conditions, aligned with the company’s Sustainability Policy, with special attention to the principles of no deforestation.
Knowledge transfer to the palm grower
Farmers in the Grupo Palmas production chains receive qualified technical assistance that seeks to transfer the same agronomic practices that are used in the company.
“We follow all the indications that Grupo Palmas field technicians give us so that our plantations have good performance. We are constantly learning about important issues such as pest control, orderly agronomic management and production plan, all this supported by technical criteria ”, says Jorge Mosquera, who lives in the Centro Poblado Denmark, San Pedro, and is part of the Ucayali Productive Chain for 5 years.
Productivity improvement
Lorenzo Rimari, a farmer who lives in the San Juan village, Neshuya, and who used to be a livestock farmer, saw a good opportunity in the palm. As he did not have basic knowledge of cultivation practices, he was advised by the Palmas Group and, from having 20 palm trees 3 years ago, today it has 3,500 palm trees that generate high productivity thanks to the good agronomic management learned. This is how it went from harvesting 80 kilos of fruit cluster to harvesting 5 tons per year.
“We know that the price for each ton of palm is set according to the world market. Taking this into account, we know that the company sets a fair price for the producers in its chain and that motivates us to continue working with them ”, he adds.
Miguel Arregui, Head of Extension of Grupo Palmas, explains that the average production of the Ucayali region is 9 metric tons ™ per hectare per year. On the other hand, a producer that is part of the Grupo Palmas production chain can achieve a productivity of 21 t per hectare per year without any inconvenience, due to the technical advice they receive and the good care of their plantations.
About the Palmas Group
Grupo Palmas, a Grupo Romero company, is a leader in the sustainable production of oil palm and cocoa in Peru. With more than 40 years in eastern Peru, it has three operations located in the provinces of Tocache (San Martín), Yurimaguas (Loreto) and Pucallpa (Ucayali), as well as a refinery in Huachipa (Lima).
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