Study on the social, environmental and economic impacts of quinoa ...

and legal and contraband export centre) and Cochabamba (quinoa-processing centre)
(SBPC, 2003).
In the main chain of value creation, the most important stage is primary production. There are
also the industrial, intermediary and final consumer stages. The main features of each of
these stages are as follows:
Primary Production: The most developed stage is that of primary production which includes
a large number of production units with a given volume of production, which is used mainly
for self-supply. These units, which involve 75,000 producers, are dispersed throughout the
Altiplano region and use traditional cultivation techniques and little technology.
Industry: This is concentrated in very few actors. Five companies in Bolivia mobilise the
major part of the quinoa in terms of stockpiling, cleaning and selection. Although some of
these companies are starting to process quinoa in products with more added value, their
processes and final product fall short of the degree of quality demanded by the international
market.
The Intermediaries: They have an important role to play in the stockpiling of the product,
which is difficult due to the dispersed nature of the production units. Some intermediaries only
stockpile the product, while others are involved from stockpiling to marketing. The majority of
these are informal intermediaries who sell the product to industry for its processing and sale.
Final Consumer: The major proportion of the product is consumed by the farmers on the
Altiplano themselves. Quinoa is directed at local, regional and international markets. The
local and regional markets are those involving the greatest volume. Peru is the biggest
importer of Bolivian quinoa. The international market is important but the volumes are lower
and consist in the export of quinoa grain for consumption in that form or as a raw material
product (SBPC, 2003).
Diagram of the Productive Chain of Quinoa
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