materially reduced delays in marketing of 

 Argentine fruit in the United States. 



TABLE 6.— Transportation costs: Ocean freight rates, aienos Aires to major 

 world ]:!ar!cet areas, February, 1958 





Unit 

 (net weight) 



Frcm Buenos Aires to- 



Kind 



New 

 York 



New 



Orleans 



United 

 Kingdoo 



European 

 Continent 



Apples 



Pears 



AS. 5 lb. box 

 iA lb. box 

 28 lb. lug 

 34 lb. lug 



(sawdust pack) 



U. S. 

 dollars 

 2.15 

 2.15 

 1.23 



L!. S. 

 dollars 

 2.15 

 2.00 

 1.15 



u. s. 



dollars 



1.51 



1.37 



.77 



1.09 



v. S. 



dollars 



1.60 



1.37 



.90 





1.25 



COLD STORAGE 



Cold storage capacity in Argentina is inade- 

 quate and is centered in Buenos Aires; only 

 snnall capacities are available in producing 

 areas. Total cold storage capacity for fruit 

 in Buenos Aires is about 6. 5 million boxes. 

 Total capacity outside of Buenos Aires is 

 about 2. 3 million boxes. 



Practically all fruit for export moves into 

 cold storage in Buenos Aires while awaiting 

 shipment. Fruit stored in producing areas 

 during harvest season must wait for winter 

 months to be moved to Buenos Aires for ex- 

 port because of the lack of refrigerated trans- 

 portation. This also applies to the fruit which 

 is stored in the cold rooms in Bahia Blanca, 

 where there is a cold storage plant built for 

 meat but used almost exclusively in recent 

 years for fruit. This warehouse provides 

 space for about 100, 000 boxes. 



Cold storage capacity in Argentina for fresh 

 fruit is as follows, expressed in standard 

 boxes: 



Area Capacity (boxes) 



Buenos Aires 6, 555, 000 



Mendoza 884, 000 



Rio Negro 530, 000 



Other 915, 000 



Total Argentina 8, 884, 000 



Comparison of the total cold storage capac- 

 ity of the country- -about 9 million boxes- - 

 with total apple and pear production of 15-20 

 million boxes points up the acute shortage of 

 facilities. Roughly 7.5 million boxes capacity 

 of cold storage is used only for export fruit. 

 This is slightly more than total requirennents, 

 for total fruit exports average about 5-6 mil- 

 lion boxes. 



Cold storage charges in Buenos Aires are 

 as follows: 



Pesos Dollars 



per box per box 



1st 10 days 5. 30 0. 13 



Next 50 days (per day) .09 .002 



Next 30 days (per day) ,07 .0018 



Next 30 days (per day) .06 .0015 



Next 30 days (per day) .05 .0013 



Each succeeding 30 days 



(per day) 04 .0010 



However, the major deficiency in cold stor- 

 age facilities is the extremely short capacity 

 available in producing areas coupled with the 

 almost complete lack of refrigerated transpor- 

 tation, which necessitates moving much of the 

 fruit at relatively high temperatures through- 

 out a trip of about 3 days before cooling of 

 any type is accomplished. Shippers in growing 

 areas are now beginning to expand cold stor- 

 age capacity in their respective areas. How- 

 ever, this is moving very slowly and the rate 

 of increase will be low. In addition, regard- 

 less of the extent of improvement in storage 

 facilities, the benefit to the industry can only 

 be snnall until transportation facilities are 

 similarly improved. 



In the Rio Negro area, growers have re- 

 cently petitioned the Minister of Commerce 

 for support in obtaining loans for the construct- 

 ing of cold storage plants in producing areas. 

 They cited figures showing that local cold 

 storage capacity is only about 5 percent of total 

 production. 



PRODUCING AREAS 



Deciduous fruit is grown in several widely 

 scattered areas of the country. These areas in 

 order of importance are: 



Approximate distance 

 and direction from 

 Buenos Aires 



1,000 miles southwest 

 700 miles west 



Rio Negro and Neuquen 

 Mendoza and San Juan 

 Delta and Buenos Aires 



Province 



La Rioja and Catamarca 



700 miles northwest 



Deciduous fruit for export is grown in the 

 Rio Negro, Neuquen, Mendoza, and San Juan 

 Provinces, all of which lie in western Argen- 

 tina at the foot of the Andes Mountains. Other 

 areas produce largely for the domestic mar- 

 ket. 



Argentine fruit areas showed no tendency 

 toward specialization until recent years and 

 then only in the areas producing export fruit. 

 Most areas still grow all kinds of deciduous 

 fruit and in some, such as the Delta, have 

 citrus as well. However, because of climate, 

 soil adaptation, and other conditions, certain 

 kinds are beginning to become nnore pronninent 

 than others in each area. 



Upper Rio Negro Valley 



Apples and pears have become the most im- 

 portant crops in this area and it is the princi- 

 pal zone in Argentina producing them for ex- 

 port. It is an irrigated district lying at the foot 

 of the Andes about 1, 000 miles southwest of 

 Buenos Aires and includes parts of the valleys 

 of the rivers I_imay, Neuquen, and Negro. 



The Linnay and Neuquen Rivers both rise in 

 the Andes Mountains and flow northeast and 

 southeast, respectively, joining at CipoUetti 



