II) CENTRAL WEST

Province of San Luis, Villa Mercedes. Joint Venture Soros/US Feedlot Company.

This is a narrow fringe of about 220 kms wide (East to West) and 1,600 kms. long (North to South), mostly natural wooded with a great diversity of different climates and land formations. It covers an area of about 357,000 km2 (37,000,000 hectares) with a population of 2,420,000 inhabitants, composed by 7 Provinces, from North to South as follows:

Tucuman: Is a small Province (22,534 km2) which to the west has the Aconquija Mountain Range, very dry with snow peaked mountains of up to 17,000 ft. high, running down to the East with dense rain forests (yearly rainfall of 72 inches), and then to the plains with 26 inches of rain. Very important in lemon production. Argentina is the number one lemon exporter of the world, which all come from this area. It also produces sugar cane with irrigation, soya beans and other beans without irrigation. The climate is warm, but not sub-tropical. The population is of 1,200,000 inhabitants, mostly concentrated in the capital city "San Miguel de Tucuman".

Catamarca: This zone only covers a small sector to the East of this Province of around 20,000 km2 (20% of the total surface), but it is the most fertile sector, where the Capital city is situated "San Fernando del Valle de Catamarca" and 80% of the population (total of 264,000 inhabitants). A hilly area of valleys with irrigation, allowing for olive and walnut plantations (in nuts this area harvests 50% of the country's production), with some table grapes. as well. Now they are beginning to cultivate high quality cotton, today representing 15% of the country's production (Argentina is currently the world's No.4 exporter of cotton). The climate is warm and dry, with cool nights and some frosts in the winter, low rainfall of 12-15 inches per year, except for some small areas with special micro-climates, black soils and a yearly rainfall of over 30 inches, where farmers graze Aberdeen Angus cattle, and produce potato seeds and green peas, both free of irrigation. This in general is an area with still some exceptional land investment opportunities, accompanied by Government tax benefit laws, thanks to which both local and international companies have been moving in, greatly increasing the area's agricultural production in very recent years. For example, the cotton production in this area, 5 year's ago was totally unknown, because it simply did not exist. And today not only does it represent 15% of the National production, but it is by far the best quality produced in the country; long fibre, very silky, up to the standard of the best Egyptian cotton.

North East of the Province of Rio Negro near General Conessa: 10,000 hectares for sale, low woodland, new fences, divided into 15 paddocks, good homestead and cattle yards, carries 1,000 breeding cows.

La Rioja: This zone covers the eastern sector of the Province, about 28,000 km2 which represents about one third of the total area of the Province. The population in this area is of 138,000 inhabitants of which 106,000 live in the Capital city also called "La Rioja", which is situated in the North East of the Province.. The total population of the Province is 221,000 inhabitants. The land in this area is hilly with valleys with irrigation to the North, and mostly flat to the South, but all very dry with an annual rainfall of 12 inches, sandy soil covered with bushes and low trees. With irrigation farmers are growing 18% of the country's olive production and 37% of the walnut production. They are also producing some wine, and have recently introduced plantations of high quality cotton, in the north, close to the border with the Province of Catamarca.

Cordoba: Just a very small North East sector of this Province of about 30.000 km2, with 50.000 inhabitants. It is similar to the La Rioja area, flat and scrubby, with a bit more rainfall, climbing to 20 inches per year, with Gatton Panic pastures for cattle where the bush has been cleared, and both olive and cotton plantations with irrigation. One of the biggest plantations of olive trees in the world, covering 5,000 hectares (12,500 acres) is in this area. The plantation is called "San Nicolas" situated in the county of "Cruz del Eje."

San Luis: Practically all the Province is in this zone, 77,000 km2 with 220,000 inhabitants, of which 120,000 live in the capital city, also called "San Luis" situated in the North West of the Province, which is an area with hills upto 6,000 ft. The rest of the Province . is mostly flat land covered by bushes and trees, with a rainfall that to the North West is barely 12 inches where it is very dry, increasing to 30 inches in the South East, which is a good area for cattle grazing, with natural pastures covered by rather attractive large Calden trees. There are also red deer and wild boars in this area. Very little agriculture is done, and 80% of the land surface is dedicated to cattle breeding

La Pampa: The East of the Province is in this sector, which is an area of 80,000 km2 (60% of the Province) with 230,000 inhabitants, which is 90% of the population of the Province. The Capital city is "Santa Rosa" situated in the East of the Province, with a population of 80,000 inhabitants.
This is an area of flat land with sandy soil, dedicated to cattle breeding, also covered in nice Calden trees, with good natural pastures, which are also grazed by red deer and wild boars. To the East against the Province of Buenos Aires, it is natural open land, very fertile, where farmers crop wheat, barley, soya, corn, sunflower and fatten cattle on alfalfa pastures.

Southern tip of Buenos Aires and Eastern tip of Rio Negro: This area covers 210.000 km2, with a population of about 300,000 inhabitants. It is all flat land, covered by bushes and small trees called Alpataco, Chañar, Piquillín and Jarilla, which is used for cattle breeding, with a stocking rate of one cow to every 10 hectares, because its fairly dry with a yearly rainfall of 12 inches in the West, to 20 inches in the East. Two large rivers cross this area, flowing from West to East and into the Atlantic Ocean, with very clear good quality water, that irrigates land on its way. But most of the water is wasted, flowing into the ocean, and use is not made of the capacity available for developing more irrigated land. Here the main production is vegetables and fruit, being for example the most important area of the country for onion production, which thanks to the climate forms a thick red skin, which gives it high value for export. In this zone the land is today worth (2008) between 100 USD upto $ 2,000 USD per hectare, and if land under irrigation then the price is higher.