The Secretary of Territorial Development and Environment together with the Development Cooperation Agency (ACERCA) promote the certification of sustainable differentiated products, organic certification with added value at origin and the innovation and incorporation of new products from the beekeeping chain and related.

Advancing with actions that help to position the production of propolis and organic Chaco honey in the world, the secretary of Territorial Development and Environment Marta Soneira visited the honey extraction room of the Cooperativa Apícola Chaco to deliver materials for its production. Through the acquisition of the meshes for the production of flavonoid propolis, financed by the provincial government, this will be the first organization to incorporate 400 hives.

In the 2020/21 campaign, this cooperative extracted a total of 128 drums of 300 kilograms of certified organic honey, which was marketed with the Norevo company.

“From the Secretary of Territorial Development and Environment in conjunction with the Development Cooperation Agency (ACERCA) we promote the certification of sustainable differentiated products, such as the organic certification of Chaco honeys with added value at origin, as well as innovation and incorporation of new products from the beekeeping chain and related “, remarked Soneira, who was accompanied by the Undersecretary of Territorial Planning, Alan Strusiat; the mayor of General San Martín, Mauro Leiva; and the national deputy Aldo Leiva.

This work is carried out jointly by the Development Cooperation Agency, the Network of Beekeeping Organizations of Chaco, the Secretariat of Territorial Development and Environment, the Ministry of Production, the Argentine Health Service (Senasa), the National Institute of Tecnología Agropecuaria (Inta) and the certifiers, who continue to give good results.

The Chaco Beekeeping Cooperative

Thanks to the productive alliances project, the Chaco Beekeeping Cooperative was able to complete the adaptation of its honey extraction room. The organization’s honey extraction room could be enabled through the Ministry of Production, Industry and Employment by agreement with Senasa, and the Extraction Rooms of the Single Registration System were loaded, which is linked to the System of Beekeeping Traceability (SITA) in which all the production traceability information is loaded from the apiary to the exporter.

“This allowed the producer organization to begin to commercialize its production in the formal market, not only being able to comply with the established quality parameters, but also being able to position the producers and the town on the beekeeping map of the province of Chaco”, he celebrated Soneira.

Propolis and organic honeys

The Ministry of Territorial Development and Environment financed a Pilot Plan for the production of propolis together with the Cooperativa Apícola Chaco de General San Martin. The Plan consists of the acquisition of 1,000 meshes for the collection of propolis and the characterization of its quality, which will be distributed to its associates and then commercialize the production.

Propolis is a substance collected from trees by bees, which use it to protect their hives from viruses, fungi and bacteria. The role of bees and the importance for the health of the environment and our lives is increasingly recognized and valued. In addition, it has multiple medicinal uses. It has antioxidant, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, remineralizing and anticancer effects. Being a natural antibiotic, it improves our defenses and helps us prevent and recover from respiratory diseases, among other properties that improve our vitality and well-being.

“With this pilot project for the production of propolis in the province, an old desire of Chaco beekeeping will be fulfilled, also allowing new jobs and greater income to producers,” explained the Secretary of Territorial Development and Environment.

The success of Chaco organic honeys

The 2020-2021 honey production campaign surpassed the previous harvest, resulting in 279 tons, compared to the 192 previously collected. Which continues to position the province as the largest producer of organic honey in Argentina.

As in previous years, more than 80% of this production was generated in the Impenetrable area, including the work of producers from El Sauzalito, El Tartagal, Pozo del Gato, Wichí El Pintado, Miraflores and Juan José Castelli. In addition to those found in the municipalities of Tres Isletas, Villa Ángela and General San Martín.

Honey for the Chaco, country and the world

The new extraction room of the Cooperativa Apícola Chaco enabled to carry out the organic certification for product processing for the organic regulations for the European Union market and its equivalent in Argentina (EU-Senasa) and for the United States market (Usdanop ). In the 2020/21 campaign, the cooperative extracted a total of 128 drums of 300 kilograms, each of which 100% corresponds to certified organic honey.

Source: Subsecretaria de Comunicacion Chaco