San Vicente Cooperative Votes to Admit Forty-Three New Farms

The San Vicente Cooperative Council voted 19 to 8 on Tuesday to admit forty-three new smallholder farms to its membership rolls, the largest expansion in five years. The motion, brought by the council's agriculture committee, signals confidence in the yerba mate market ahead of the spring harvest and reflects growing demand from younger farmers in the surrounding valleys who have been on the waiting list since 2024.

The vote came after a contentious two-hour discussion about membership dues and the council's ability to absorb new farms into its fair-price scheme without straining the cooperative's administrative capacity. Several council members raised concerns about the federal registry backlog, which has slowed the processing of land-title transfers for new members. Others argued that the expansion was necessary to compete with private buyers who have been recruiting smallholders directly.

The forty-three farms, most of them between five and fifteen hectares, will begin paying dues in January 2027 and will be eligible for the cooperative's price-floor guarantee starting with the spring harvest. The council's decision reflects a broader confidence among Tierra Verde's agricultural leadership that the federal government's recent commitment to clear the registry backlog will hold.