Buenos Aires
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Livestock
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Livestock production has been stabilized in the last decade in the 2.5 million tons per year from which around 80 % and 85 % are destined to domestic consumption. Slaughtering reaches around 2 million livestock heads per year, the Province of Buenos Aires participating in around 50 % of the total. Available information attributes to the Province a level of calves of 79 % against the national average of 67 %. This indicates a level of productivity in the breeding activity sensibly superior to the national average. Anyway, the efficiency of livestock production shows an important difference between the current results and their potential projection, and shows variations according to the area under consideration. This situation is evidenced mainly in the breeding activity developed in the Rio Salado and in the southern area of the Province. In the Northeast and Western area the wintering has had a relatively efficient development as time went by. Cattle slaughtering supervised by SENASA has experienced a slightly decreasing tendency if we compare between the points of the decade, going to 10.6 millions of livestock heads for 1990.
Meat packing plants authorized by the Nation (Federal Transit) amount to more than 70, which – according to official figures – slaughtered around 4.6 millions of livestock heads during 1999, this represents 60 % of the slaughtering performed by the whole industry of meat packing plants authorized by SENASA. At the same time, there are no full statistics on the slaughtering of about 65 plants authorized by the Provincial Government (Provincial and Municipal Transit) but current information allows to estimate the number in around 800 thousand and 1.3 million cattle heads.
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 Beans | | | | | As regards the sunflower, the area sown shows a favourable evolution with an average annual increase of 200,000 hectares. Its production ranges from 2.9 to 3.6 million tons, whereas the average yields show decreases in the last three campaigns due to the performance of “second sowing”, reaching average values of 1,700 kg/ha. Likewise, the evolution of the GPV of this cropping shows a behaviour similar to the one analyzed for previous cropping, with a significant increase until the 1997/98 campaign, doubling from $ 400 to $ 800 millions during the 1993/97 period. As from the 1998/99 campaign, the slump in prices have caused the GPV to reach around $ 620 million.
In the case of the soya cropping, the area sown has not varied significantly during the past five years, ranging from 1.3 / 1.6 millions of hectares, with average yields of 1,800 to 2,000 kg./ha, which determines a provincial production close to 2.5/3 millions of tons. The GPV of this oilseed in the Province shows an average increase of about $ 40 million per year up to the 1997/98 campaign due mainly to an increase in prices, reaching $ 650 million. As from that moment a significant slump is evidenced, causing the PGV to reach around $ 410 million in 1998/99.
Sustained increases in the provincial production were shown in relation with corn in an average of 600,000 tons per year, due to the utilization of hybrid seeds adapted to the areas with fewer rainfalls and due to the dissemination of the replacement in the beef cattle.
The average provincial yields obtained per hectare for each analyzed bean, except for the soya, exceed national averages. | |
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| Vegetables and Fruits | | | | | Buenos Aires has the major belt of fruits and vegetables in the country. In fact, the “green belt” of Buenos Aires has the shape of a ring between 30 km and 100 km, around the metropolitan area, hosting the main production core of vegetables, flowers and ornamental plants, having a significant and growing cropping area underground.
The Southeast of the Province of Buenos Aires, centered in Balcarce is the main potato producer in Argentina. Yearly, it produces about 30 million potato bags of 50 kilos each, harvested between January (early harvest) and June. The Borough of General Pueyrredón supplies the relevant urban area as “green belt”.
Another important location to be considered as fruit provider is San Pedro, specialized in stone fruits for the domestic market, with early harvest (November-January) and “Navel” high-quality oranges due to the latitude where they are sown. These are exported according to the occurrence and incidence of frosts during the blooming season.
It is important to point out the strong growing of asparagus, which began in Chacabuco ten years ago, this being the most important item of exportation by air of all of the Argentine horticulture as from 1990, (700 to 800 tons per year).
Generally, fruits and vegetables are marketed at concentrated markets, with the product in exhibition, where negotiations between wholesalers and retailers were carried out with the products in exhibition and under quality non-standardized conditions.
The wholesale distribution sector joins around 5,000 companies from all over the country, most of which operate in concentrated markets of the Province, giving relevance to the operators from the Buenos Aires Central Market (Mercado Central de Buenos Aires). The marketing of its products reaches about 5 million tons per year. The apparent consumption implies around 130 kilos of vegetables per year/ person and around 110 kilos of fruits per year/ person.
Currently, wholesalers are moving towards the provision of full-services and logistics added value. | |
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| Exports | | | | | Buenos Aires contributes with a 40 % average of the total amount of exports in the country. The contribution of manufactured products far exceeds the national average.
Table: Provincial contribution in exports
First six provinces (in percentages) | Buenos Aires | 39,5% | | Santa Fe | 17,5% | | Córdoba | 11,9% | | Chubut | 3,4% | | Mendoza | 2,9% | | Neuqúen | 2,5% |
46 % of manufacturing exports, that is, more than U$S 2,500 million are MOI (Manufactures of industrial origin), and raw materials have contributions close to 25 % each. In 1993, exports of raw materials represented 18 % of the total, and the MOA (Manufactures of agricultural-livestock origin) amounted to 32 %. A growing tendency in the importance of raw materials instead of agricultural manufactures is evidenced. Cereal exports amounted to 19 % of the external sales during 1998, whereas the item of transport material amounted to 17.5 %. Whereas cereal external sales remained always with a contribution superior to 10 %, automobiles, which only contributed with 2 % in 1991, had reached 11 % in 1996.
The purpose of exports also shows a defined pattern characterized by a preponderance of favoured areas due to the closeness and commercial agreements: 1998 sales were made to: Mercosur (43 %), European Union (12 %) and Nafta (9 %).
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