The Cooperative distributes the hybrid seed of the main producing companies in the world
The Cooperativa Agraria San Antón offers a wide range of products and services to farmers, many of whom are already preparing to sow corn, one of the most cultivated cereals in the world, also in Albacete, although increasingly less, due to the low price at which this cereal has traded in recent years and the high energy costs involved in its cultivation.
Aurelio Pérez, managing director of Agraria San Antón, explained that the Cooperative deals with corn in the planting phase and after harvest. "The Cooperative -he said- is a distributor, for our area, of the main companies that produce hybrid corn seeds in the world, with which we make the best genetics available to our farmers at the best price." After the harvest, for drying corn for feed, "we have a dryer capable of processing 2.000 tons per day and for drying corn for human consumption, we have another, which operates at lower temperatures. capable of processing 400 tons per day," he added.
The Cooperative has been producing corn for human consumption for a few campaigns, known as waxy or waxy. "These varieties are as productive as those of conventional maize, with the particularity that the starch it contains is suitable for human consumption," stressed the manager, who assured that the farmer who opts for this type of crop "gets about 10 % of premium on the conventional one and the bonus of the expense of seed used in its day, with which and in spite of the high energy costs, the farmer is profitable».
Aurelio Pérez highlighted that the use of certified seed in cereals has proven to be an excellent agricultural practice. "The advantages are numerous for the farmer and even for the cooperative itself." In recent years, the yields and quality of the crops have increased significantly. "We are on the right track and from here we encourage the use of certified seeds."
For her part, María Ángeles Cuesta, financial director of the Cooperative highlighted the socioeconomic importance of these entities in Castilla La-Mancha "due to the high number of existing organizations, which in turn integrate a large number of members as well as the high volume of billing and the employment they generate”. He indicated that "the Cooperative, through the services it provides to the member, such as information, supply of inputs, transformation or commercialization, favors the competitiveness of the agricultural companies of its members and helps the bargaining power against suppliers and customers".
Regarding the difficulties that the cooperatives encounter, he stated that "the majority are small, which prevents them from facing the growing competition in the markets and the strong bargaining power of the distribution chains, so it can be said that the growth The size of cooperatives appears almost as a necessity, in order to be more competitive in national and international markets, improve bargaining power, obtain achievements in differentiation and innovation, or diversify risk”.
A change "that must be accompanied by important structural and organizational changes that affect its management, as well as the specialization and professionalism of its staff," he said. Finally, he stressed that cooperatives have more and more, "with better facilities, better internal structure and better integrate new technologies."
