The crisis that… Herbal sector in Misiones has just added a chapter of great political, economic and social importance. The Yerbatera Andresito cooperative, one of the most representative units of this activity in the province, officially informed its members that it is in a “complex financial situation” and will not be able to make payments until further notice.
The announcement was signed by the Board of Directors and chaired by the President Juan Carlos Amann, represents a turning point, as it is the first major missionary cooperative to publicly recognize that the crisis in the sector, denounced by producers for more than a year, is no longer limited to farms and is fully reaching the organizational structures that in the past acted as a check against the whims of the market.
In a short but powerful institutional announcement, the cooperative reported: “The Yerbatera Cooperative Andresito Ltda. With this letter we would like to inform you that the cooperative is in a difficult financial situation due to the current economic situation. Unfortunately, payments cannot be made until further notice.”
The message sent to members does not contain any details about deadlines or alternative payment mechanisms underlines the seriousness of the situation. For many producers, the statement was not a surprise, but confirmation of a deterioration that has been brewing since the end of 2023.
The origin of the problem: deregulation and loss of arbitration
The process that led to this situation began in December 2023, when the government of Javier Milei advanced the DNU 70/23, a far-reaching standard that, among other things, regulates the functions of the National Yerba Mate Institute (INYM).
Until this point, the organization was founded in 2002 by the Yerbatera law 25,564 tIt played a central role in setting minimum prices for green leaves and grass and also acted as an intermediary between producers, dryers and mills. The aim was to prevent the abuse of a dominant market position and to cushion the structural asymmetries of a highly concentrated chain.
With deregulation, things were left to the market direct negotiation between parties, without reference prices or control instruments. In addition, there was an important political decision: the national government never appointed a president of the INYM, which effectively paralyzed it.
Prices in free fall and ever longer payment periods
The effect was immediate. No minimum prices, the value of the green leaf began to fall below production costs. According to producers, in different areas of Misiones, a kilo has begun to pay between 180 and 220 pesos, while cost studies indicate that more than 350 pesos are needed just to cover basic costs.
The situation was aggravated by the payment conditions. In many cases the industry began offering 90, 120 and even 180 day checks, shifting the financial problem to the weakest link in the chain. For small and medium-sized settlers, this combination was fatal: low prices, rising costs and payment terms that were incompatible with the dynamics of production.
Producers in crisis and crops not recovering
Faced with this scenario, a growing number of growers made the extreme decision not to harvest. The summer harvest The amount, which was smaller than the usual amount, which had been crucial to maintaining income in the past, was now left standing because the increase meant a loss of money.
In 2024 and 2025 the protest moved to streets and squares. Was “yerbatazos”Mobilizations in Posadas and Buenos Aires, cuts to drying plants, and constant calls for the nation-state to restore some form of regulation. Producer organizations warned that the sector was facing a crisis similar to that of the 1990s, when deregulation led to concentration, farm abandonment and social exclusion.
When the crisis reaches the cooperatives
What is now clear in the Andresito case is that the deterioration is no longer just affected individual producers. Cooperatives, which had functioned as an organizational, financing and value creation instrument for decades, also increasingly found themselves caught up in the logic of the deregulated market.
Without support prices and with partners who cannot collect their production, the flow of money is interrupted. The suspension of payments announced by Andresito highlights this bottleneck: a company that relies on the economic health of its partners cannot support itself if the production base is impoverished.
Industrial concentration and external pressure
Another factor that exacerbated the crisis is the increasing concentration of the market. According to industry reports a dozen large companies controls the majority of yerba mate processing and has a strong ability to enforce purchasing conditions.
Added to this is the increase in imports from Paraguay and Brazil, which expand supply in a depressed domestic market and put even more pressure on the prices received by the missionary producer.
Andresito, a symbol of endangered local development
The Andresito Yerbatera cooperative brings together about 130 producing families and has historically been an economic and social pillar of the cooperative Municipality of Comandante Andresitoone of the highest yerba producing areas in the country.
During the years of expansion The company invested in infrastructureimproved industrial processes and received recognition for the quality of its products. Today, the cessation of payments declaration serves as a concrete warning about the impact of a sector policy that, according to producers and cooperatives, has left the primary link unprotected in the face of a deeply unequal market.
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