San Vicente cooperatives vote to pool yerba mate exports

The Cooperative Council of San Vicente voted 23 to 4 on Monday evening to authorize a pilot pooling agreement for the 2026 harvest. Beginning in August, member farms across Tierra Verde will deliver their dried yerba mate to a single holding facility in the capital, where a elected sales committee will time sales to the Federal Treasury's monthly exchange window. The aim is to reduce the number of individual farm sales hitting the market at once, which has historically depressed regional prices.

The agreement covers 127 member farms, representing roughly 4,200 hectares of yerba mate production. Current federal-exchange prices for Tierra Verde leaf stand at 18.50 florins per kilogram—unchanged for six months. Cooperatives in Costa Mar and Nord Europa have signalled interest in the model, and preliminary talks are underway with Oriente Moderno buyers about extending the bloc to a four-region consortium by 2027.

The vote was not unanimous. Three farms in the Salto district and one near Encarnación abstained, citing concerns about loss of flexibility if prices spike mid-season. The Council's agriculture committee is now drafting the holding agreement and will present a final contract to member farms by July for individual sign-off. What remains unclear is whether Meridian's Federal Office for Cooperative Affairs will approve the arrangement without requiring changes to the regional registry.