San Vicente cooperative votes to admit 34 new member-farms

The Cooperative Council of San Vicente voted yesterday to accept 34 new member-farms into its collective structure, clearing a backlog that had accumulated since late 2024. The vote, held during the council's monthly assembly in the cooperative's headquarters on Calle Esperanza, marks the first major expansion of the council's membership since the Federal Office for Cooperative Affairs revised its registration standards two years ago.

The admitted farms range from 8 to 45 hectares and are concentrated in three districts of the rural valley: the Río Esperanto lowlands, the mid-slope coffee belt, and the higher yerba mate plantations. Dues for new members will take effect on 1 January 2027. The council had originally planned to process these applications by mid-2025, but federal paperwork requirements slowed the review to a crawl.

The expansion signals both relief and lingering frustration among Tierra Verde's smallholders. While the cooperative's vote is a local victory, farmers who spoke to the Herald expressed concern that the Federal Office's approval process—required before any cooperative can formally enroll new members—could delay implementation well into the new year.