PRODUCER RELATIONSHIPS AND LOCAL DEVELOPMENT IN FRESH FRUIT EXPORTS: AN ANALYSIS OF BLUEBERRY PRODUCTION IN ENTRE RÍOS, ARGENTINA

CRAVIOTTI, CLARA

State College, Pennsylvania

Otro; “Informing Possibilities for the Future of Food and Agriculture”; 2009

In current local development perspectives intangible capitals, specifically tacit knowledge and networks, are considered critical assets of regional economies. This paper takes this issue as a point of departure for the analysis of the blueberry production in the northeast of the state of Entre Ríos, Argentina, which from its very beginning has been fully inserted in globalized marketing channels and devoted to counter-seasonal export to developed countries, specially the United States.    The analysis carried out reveals the importance of particular “soft” technologies in the development of a crop which is relatively new for the country. These technologies involve the use of planning and administration techniques inside the productive units and - in a much smaller measure – in the relationships of these units and the environment. So far, producers cooperation relationships that facilitate the exchange of information and the construction of mechanisms to make possible organized access to counter-seasonal niche markets have been rather weak or incipient. Their emergence has been limited because of the non-local character of production company owners, and the fact that privileged business-related knowledge is visualized as a significant asset which would possibly guarantee the continuity of current comparative advantages in the future scenario of a mature and highly competitive market. This situation, which will probably contribute to a greater concentration of production in the short run, affects small local entrepreneurs who, in order to enhance their effectiveness in the production and commercialization phases, could benefit from a more open and interactive knowledge environment.