Argentina’s INTA opens biofactory for biological inputs

In May, the National Institute of Agricultural Technology (INTA) of Argentina inaugurated a biofactory in the city of Reconquista, Santa Fe province.

In the factory, bio-inputs and biological preparations are produced to supply and train family farmers in the region, who produce ecologically or are in transition.

“The products we make are for our use within the INTA Reconquista Experimental, and we also test them for local producers,” said Federico Pognante, agronomist and specialist in Agroecology at the Secretariat of Family, Peasant and Indigenous Agriculture (SAFCI), which linked to the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, and Fisheries of Argentina (MAGyP).

The bioinput production center was established on an experimental space measuring 80-square meters, equipped with the necessary equipment.

“It took us six months to get it ready. We are currently producing some 200 liters of super lean biofertilizers. We also produce other bio-inputs at a rate of 50 liters per month, some of which work as insect repellants, bio-insecticides, biological fungicides and phytotherapics, which are natural products for the prevention of diseases in animal production,” Pognante said.

He then explained that all the inputs used to make products come from the INTA Experimental, which, although it has a total of 1,200 hectares, has an agroecological production module measuring 42 hectares.

Within this module, production is done according to demand and also involve family producers with plots of 15 or 20 hectares each, which are dedicated to horticultural, agricultural and livestock production. They are trained on how to make the bio-inputs themselves.

“We have been working with producers for 20 years, but this issue has become more visible in recent years, after we learnt that many soils were overexploited and no longer have the necessary fertilizers for plants. Chemical fertilizers reduce soil microbiology, so you have to start regenerating it. Here at the Experimental, we carry out annual research to study the increase in organic matter, and we are beginning to see a reactivation of this soil micro and macrobiology after the use of biological inputs,” Pognante said.

The biofactory is not only a center for the production of bio-inputs, it is also a training and education center where students, producers and technicians are trained in manufacturing bio-inputs. The technical team that works between SAFCI and INTA is made up of an interdisciplinary team of eight professionals, including engineers, veterinarians and biologists.

In Santa Fe, 5 biofactories have been supported by the provincial government since 2019 with resources from the local Ministry of Production. One of these biofactories works under of the Union of Land Workers (UTT) in Monte Vera near the provincial capital. After almost 2 years of training, the UTT has completed preparations to benefit all local producers, and are providing technical support and promoting the recovery of seeds.

(Editing by Leonardo Gottems, reporter for AgroPages)