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Buenos Aires : Agricultural and livestock

In this regard, the measures taken by the Government of the Province of Buenos Aires during the year 2003 were aimed to assure the quality and health of agricultural products throughout the whole productive process. By means of an information system, the Government aimed to provide an added value to the meat and credibility to the export certification system thereby controlling the health events which tend to test the permanence of Argentina in the markets. The ignition of a planned system and certifications that provide trustable guaranties to exported products aim to join a health success with a commercial one. Moreover, through the development of quality protocols, together with a policy of promotion of exports suitable for the sector, it is expected a 15 % increase of the current exports. In the past, livestock activity (specially beef cattle) has played an important part in the generation of value within the provincial agricultural activity. Provincial beef cattle population with 18 million of heads is involved in around 36 % of the country´s total stock. This involvement is quite similar in the different categories, ranging from a minimum of 35 % in the young heifer category to a maximum of 37.2 % in the cow, steer and baby beef categories. This values are considered low with regard to previous values from Argentina (in 1997 a maximum of 77 million of livestock heads was reached). According to the 1994 agricultural census, the beef cattle population was about 53.2 million heads, 19.4 million of which were located in the Province of Buenos Aires. Currently, beef cattle population amounts to 49.0 million at the national level and 18.3 million at the provincial level.

Fishing Activity:

	During the year 2003, a 50 % increase in the quantity of lagoons of the province under commercial exploitation was achieved through the promotion and development of the silverside. The use of labour force was increased in a 20 % and biofishing studies were increased in a 70 %. Fishing sport activities and tourism are favoured in general. Measures aimed to promote the productive utilization of the Pacific Oyster are being developed in the division of Patagones. This initiative provides new sources of labour and income to the local people. The program had an important impact on the employment of idle and unemployed labour force in the Bahia Abnegada area, this means that 61 families are related to this new activity, the extraction and trading of almost 7,000 kg of grown oysters. A control and inspection system of ships with fishing permits was implemented together with the Argentine Coast Guard with the purpose of achieving an order of non-industrial fishing activities which take place in the coast and estuarial areas of the province. 199 fishing permits were granted for these areas of the province.

Wheat

	Wheat is the main crop in the Province of Buenos Aires. At the 2002/2003 campaign 3.3 million hectares were sown, which represents more than 50 % of the total sown land in Argentina. At the last five campaigns, the area remained over 3 million hectares, with a maximum of 4.4 million hectares sown in 1996. The yields of such campaigns ranged between 23 and 29 qq/ha, which places the province yields above the total yield of the country. In the 2001/2002 harvest a yield of 22.35 qq/ha was obtained at the national level, and the yield of the Province of Buenos Aires was 25.18 qq/ha. In its turn, the province of Buenos Aires has wide areas with agroclimate conditions specially suitable for the production of excellent quality industrial wheat.

Dairy Industry

	It participates with 25 % of the more than 10,000 million litres produced every year in the country, with an average shed production of 1,660 litres per day. There are five milksheds, limited by the location of the plants: Abasto Sur, Abasto Norte, Oeste, "Mar y Sierra" and Sur. The Western milkshed is the most important, having 50 % in the volume produced as well as in the distribution of sheds. Abasto Sur comprises 21.6 % of the sheds and produces 17.9 % of the total of the province. Domestic consumption is of 210/220 lts/hab/year.

Poultry Industry

	The productive sector is in charge of the fattening, followed by the processing and distribution of poultry to local markets where there is a differentiation in the products: cut, boned, to produce food composed of chicken. The regional integration imposed a strong competence to the sector from Brazil. The change in the preferences for poultry instead of cattle launched the import and local production which combines the distribution networks in the internal market with the external provision of inputs and equipment at a lower cost. Economies of scale are presented, resulting in a 20 % over the added value occupied in the province where the average production exceeds in an 80 % the average of all locals in activity.