Raisins are dried on racks and on the ground, San Juan. 



l^^pi^MkAL 



k 



and it must be assvimed that his actual profit 

 is somewhat less than shown depending on how 

 many cost factors he has overlooked. However, 

 it is readily apparent that this farmer is ex- 

 ceptionally well off by Argentine standards, 

 although he lives very simply and close to the 

 land. There is little absentee landholding in 

 the Delta, except for the few owners of very 

 large estancias. 



The average size of farm in the Delta is 

 about 10 hectares; the largest are 100-200 

 hectares. 



DOMESTIC MARKETING 



The major market in Argentina is, of course, 

 Buenos Aires and its suburbs, with a metro- 

 politan population of approximately 8 million. 

 Fruitmoves to Buenos Aires for sale there and 

 for transshipment by rail to northern areas of 

 the country. Containers used for domestic 

 markets are extremely variable, with fruit 

 packed in burlap bags and various types of 

 crates and boxes. 



In Buenos Aires, fruit is received in several 

 general wholesale markets. The largest of 

 these markets is operated by the government 

 and all others are private. 



Operation of Buenos Aires Market 



The major fruit market in Buenos Aires is 

 the Mercado Nacional de Frutas, which handles 

 12 percent of all the fruit consumed in the Fed- 

 eral Capital area. 



This market is administered by the Ministry 

 of Commerce and Industry, and is the only gov- 

 ernment-operated market in the city. The op- 

 eration is modeled after similar markets in 

 the United States and is very similar to rail 

 terminal markets here. 



Rail cars and trucks deliver produce to the 

 market, which occupies a large shedlike build- 

 ing about 165 feet x 1,200 feet. Each seller has 

 an assigned area, or floor space, where he 

 stacks the produce offered for sale. Buyers 

 come to look at samples and nnake purchases. 

 All transactions are strictly cash. The buyer 

 makes his choice of produce and receives a 

 sales ticket from the seller stating the descrip- 

 tion of the merchandise, number of packages, 

 and the price of each unit. This slip is pre- 

 sented to one of the several cashiers stationed 

 in cages around the floor, and payment for the 

 merchandise is made. The buyer receives a 

 receipt and then is authorized to remove the 

 merchandise whenever he wishes. 



The market receives the money and after de- 

 ducting charges for "derecho de piso" (the 

 right of floor) and bookkeeping charges, remits 

 the balance to the seller. These charges for 

 floor space are about 25 centavos per box (100 

 centavos = 1 peso). The total charges for the 

 market facilities are close to, butnever exceed, 

 one peso (2. 6^) per box. 



Additional services provided by the market 

 include a daily bulletin sent to all who request it 

 and pay the postage. The bulletin shows by 

 shipping area, kind, and variety the number of 

 boxes carried over on the market from the pre- 

 vious day, the number arrived, the sales, -and 

 the carryover to the next day. It also shows 

 average prices by grade received during the day. 



The law requires all private markets to re- 

 port similar information daily to the manager of 

 the Mercado Nacional. These data are combined 

 and a daily bulletin issued, showing the same 



15 



