Around 220 farmers in the Zona Central in Paraguay have joined in a farming co-operation and cultivate organic sugar cane. Together they have managed to find a way to defy the tough competition in South America and find sufficient trade channels for their harvest. On a total area of ca. 1,500 hectares, they grow this raw material for Naturata’s Syramena sugar.

The farmers in Paraguay still work in a very traditional way using ox and mules for the heavy work. Thanks to the fair prices which they receive for their products, they were recently able to buy a tractor together which makes their work much easier although a great deal is still done by hand.

Three quarters of the farmers farm less than 10 hectares. On around a quarter of this area they grow products for their own needs. The remaining area is used for sugar cane – all of which goes to the La Felsina sugar factory in Guanambare, around 35 km from the capital Asunción. The farmers also receive support with cultivation: for example NATURATA provides them with young plants for their plantations. Arcadio Rodriguez, an agricultural engineer from the Swiss project partner Pronatec, advises them with regards to organic farming and ensures that the organic criteria are kept.

Two fincas have also been converted to biodynamic farming and produce the NATURATA Demeter SYRAMENA raw sugar cane.