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

egions being impassable in the rainy season, as in the case of Salar on the Southern
Altiplano, which causes difficulties in the timely supply of the grain.
It is therefore important for the regional and municipal governments to play a more active role
in promoting the development of production, prioritising resources for investment in
production support (SBPC, 2003).
3.2.4. Lack of business investment in different links of the chain
Deficiencies in business management and the lack of an entrepreneurial spirit reflect on the
performance of the organisations, leading to inappropriate decisions or lost opportunities. It is
also known that at the level of the first link in the chain, the producers do not have access to
market information (prices, volumes, etc), which limits their negotiating power.
The organisational culture of certain production units belonging to the rural workers have not
demonstrated a capacity for innovation, which has given rise to many of them losing their
traditional markets. Decision-making in these organisations is very slow, as approval must be
obtained at each management level, which results in lost opportunities (SBPC, 2003).
It is therefore necessary to promote a change in the business approach of the actors in the
chain.
3.2.5. Lack of integration in different links of the chain
Although several productive organisations are vertically integrated by the production process,
as they participate in all the stages (agricultural production, stockpiling, industrial processing
and export) their interests are not always consistent with those of similar organisations, and
even less so with those of private organisations.
A regional theme in the chain is also apparent. The actors of Oruro consider that they
produce the biggest amount and the best quinoa, because Salinas is the Quinoa Capital. In
Potosí it is said that the best quinoa is produced within its territory and that it is sold as
“Oruran” quinoa in Challapata. Apparently this approach has given rise to the halting of a
support initiative by the Japanese government, to implement a high-technology Pilot
Processing Plant (SBPC, 2003)
3.2.6. Fragmentation of the productive capacity and legal security of the organisations
Around 70% of the quinoa producers on the Southern Altiplano are independent producers.
This trend is seen more in the Region of Oruro than in Potosí, where the producers act in a
more associative way.
However, the majority of these associations do not act as formal economic agents, but more
as non-profit-making organisations. The said situation prevents these organisations from
having a more effective participation in the economy. Some of them have opted for the
entrepreneurial card, in order to be able to participate in tenders; however, there are
restrictions in their action due to the limited existing quota.
Being part of an association is important for making the best use of the productive resources
(e.g. irrigation, machinery, etc); likewise, formalisation may become an incentive for the
creation of strategic alliances with other actors in the chain (SBPC, 2003).
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