Radiography of the world of agricultural contractors in Argentina

When talking about the Argentine countryside, the conversation almost always revolves around the producer, the weather, or international prices. But behind that scene there is an actor who is rarely spoken about and whose weight is enormous: the agricultural services market. Planting, spraying, harvesting, moving equipment from one province to another. A large part of these tasks are not done by the owners of the fields, but by an impressive network of contractors who, quietly, support the daily operation of millions of hectares. Without them, most of modern agriculture simply would not work. In this column I want to focus on this sector: how big it is, how it operates, and why it has become decisive for the competitiveness of Argentine agriculture. The real size of the phenomenon Hard figures show something that many in the sector already suspected: Argentine agriculture is heavily outsourced. According to recent official data, there are tens of thousands of registered service ...