The impact of the global coronavirus pandemic is noticeable in supply and delivery. Due to their quality, they hope to conquer a greater world market.

The impact of the world coronavirus pandemic, in producers and distribution centers in Chaco, is noticeable in the supply and delivery of products, which generates a brake on growth and therefore, a minimum production plan according to restrictions imposed by national and provincial authorities.

NORTH RURAL collected the report of producers and technicians who have through their companies and organizations, production and supply agreements both for the domestic market and for the export of high quality honey that comes from the Chaco mountains.

“For the moment, the Covid-19 has only affected supply and delivery, but they still continue to supply China and other Asian markets” (Manuel Álvarez, Mieles del Chaco)

“We maintain that this world situation is an incredible opportunity that opens up for Argentine honeys of excellent quality. The pandemic has given a worldwide shock, and we aim to work with quality in the face of this promising future” (Daniel Codutti, Cooperativa Apícola Margarita Belen).

Produce associatively in the midst of quarantine

Before the end of the harvest, it is necessary to prepare the hives for wintering, since the quantity and quality of the honey for the next season will depend on what we do today, says Daniel Codutti, from the Chaco Beekeeping Consortium member of the Margarita Belén Beekeeping Cooperative.

With the situation of the Corona Virus, the producers are carrying out these planned tasks with the respective permits and each one and in turn taking care of the community with all the precautions advised by the Ministry of Health.

At the beginning of this situation, the permissions or documentation necessary to move were not clear, but then it was solved. Regarding sanitary treatment, there were delays in sending, given the situation of the pandemic, but we have already received and the respective treatments are being carried out.

Cooperative work

Codutti says that what is produced in Margarita Belén is not very significant in terms of volume, so the contribution of the other cooperatives is added, which is in bulk, and there the fractionation process is carried out with the Copap brand (Cooperativa Apícola ) that has all the registered ratings. They produce organic, gluten-free, kosher certified honey.

With regard to the commercialization of fractional honey Gluten Free and Organic Honey COPAP, in its manufacturing plant in Margarita Belén, it continues to be packaged on a smaller scale and with the corresponding precautions and measures in the situation of the Corona Virus.

With the distribution it is a little more complicated at the country level, because not all transport works or if they do it it is less frequently and that makes deliveries delayed.

Locally, the different deliveries are planned according to the requested orders. In relation to our suppliers of supplies, there are also delays in deliveries due to the transport situation.

The exquisiteness of the product

The marketing of honey -in normal times- is done through the consortium, in different parts of the country and in a variety of presentations: 30 grams, 20 grams sachet, in PVC and glass of 250, 500 and 1000 grams.

In addition, organic honey is marketed in a presentation of 480 grams, it is a differentiated honey, it does not have any type of transgenic or agrochemical cultivation and it is certified by a company that audits twice a year granting organic status to those who comply with regulations. in force.

The gluten-free honey of the Apicultural Cooperative managed to position itself in the market and is marketed throughout the region, Corrientes, Formosa, Santa Fe, Entre Ríos, Buenos Aires and Tierra del Fuego. ‘What we guarantee the consumer is honey, without any type of aggregate or additives and when one tries it, one realizes and notices the difference from other products,‘ he tells NORTE RURAL.

What is done now

Codutti says that at this time it is substantial to carry out varroa monitoring prior to the application of the control treatment and once completed, to verify its efficacy; Control nutritional energy (honey) and protein (pollen bread) reserves.

At the same time, he talks about blocking the brood chamber with sugar syrup in large volumes and for a short period of time. Being efficient in the inspection time to avoid looting, is an unavoidable task.

“There will be a great world demand in August”, they say in Mieles del Chaco

Manuel Alvarez, from the Mieles del Chaco plant, from the Grúas San Blas group, which operates in the Sáenz Peña Industrial Park, maintains in dialogue with NORTE RURAL that “August will be key because there will be a significant world demand for good quality”.

Álvarez says that currently, in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, the market remains stable, and it is appropriate to highlight which are the predominant ones: the whites for the United States and honeys with a high fructose-glucose ratio for Europe.

Brazil’s oversupply

The demand for organic honey has been low this year as a result of the oversupply in Brazil, says Álvarez. At the moment CoVid-19 “has only affected supply and delivery, but they continue to source from China and other Asian markets.

The main markets are in the same situation as Argentina, we will have to see the answer once the pandemic is over. I estimate that there may be a higher demand for deliveries from August, “he says.

From Castelli and Miraflores

Honey is produced by beekeepers in the Castelli and Miraflores area, in the heart of El Impenetrable Chaco, in areas free of contamination and isolated from crops, that is, in the middle of the bush and therefore organic honey is produced.

The head of the Mieles del Chaco industrial plant, Manuel Alvares, tells, by way of example, that in the first five months of the previous year, 384,624 jars and more than 160 tons of honey were exported in bulk. “Our products have reached markets like the US, Canada, Bolivia, the Netherlands and the United Arab Emirates,” he says.

Good manufacturing practices

“Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) are applied in the process, consisting of the basic conditions and activities to maintain those stages of the food chain where our organization applies in order to ensure the production, handling and provision of our innocuous finished products for the human consumption, complying with the provisions of the Argentine Food Code, “he says.

Source: Revista Chacra