Nacimiento receives several tons of fodder for smallholding farmers

The delivery of aid in the form of fodder to smallholding farmers most affected by the forest fires in the Biobío and Malleco provinces (Chile) continues. This is part of the collaboration agreement signed by CMPC and the agricultural trade associations of the south including Socabio, Sofo and the Farmers Association of Malleco.

After signing the Collaboration Agreement, CMPC and the agricultural trade associations began efforts to bring aid to the smallholding farmers most affected by the forest fires in various parts of the Biobío and Araucanía Regions, namely fodder so that they can have the inputs necessary for meeting the needs of their animals.

Nacimiento is one of the districts that is supported by the collaboration network. This week it received two truckloads of aid consisting of 12 tons of bran, 12 tons of wheat and 640 bales. The feed was delivered to smallholding farmers by CMPC Forests Corporate Affairs Manager Ignacio Lira, Socabio President José Miguel Stegmeier, National Agricultural Society (SNA, Spanish acronym) President Cristian Allendes Carlos Toloza, the Nacimiento Mayor, and community leaders.

The inputs were immediately distributed from the base at the Nacimiento Rodeo Club to the smallholding farmers affected by the forest fires who lost their homes, crops, and the fodder they had stored for the winter, therefore, much of their income and assets. The aid was delivered to those who were unable to go to the distribution center so that everyone would have what they needed on that same day to respond to the urgent need of feeding their animals.

CMPC Forests Corporate Affairs Manager Ignacio Lira explained that the aid consists of, “The delivery of agricultural inputs, fodder, bales, and concentrates to help hundreds of farmers in the Nacimiento district who have been affected by these unfortunate fires that have occurred in recent weeks.”

Lira stressed that this delivery is part of the collaboration agreement and said they will continue working together to help reactivate the rural agricultural world. “This small contribution will help reactivate local agriculture. We are working with various actors that converge in the rural world. This includes Socabior in representation of the farmers of Biobío, the National Agricultural Society (SNA), and we as CMPC in the forestry sector. Together we’re supporting the neighbors of the rural world who are going through hard times.”

Carlos Toloza Soto, Mayor of Nacimiento, thanked them for the help they received. “I want to express my thanks for this public and private alliance between CMPC and the board of Socabio who have made themselves available to gather the necessary grain inputs in order to meet our commitment.”

The mayor said, “This is a tremendous relief. Many  farmers were coming to the municipality saying they needed grain, and now they show up with this tremendous support; two trucks of both bran and wheat, and more than 600 bales. This directly aids our farmers and makes sure residents can schedule things with their animals since they won’t have grass this year. They’ll have to wait until next year for fresh grass, but this will help partly mitigate this terrible experience.

President of the Neighborhood Committee of Unión La Suerte Jenny Aguilera Castro of Nacimiento, whose farming family was also completely affected by the fires, said that all the meadows in the area were consumed by the fire and completely burned. Additionally, they don’t have any water, which makes it more challenging to have green meadows once again for feeding their animals. “This is a great help, and it means a lot to us. It gives us the solution we need and economically supports the residents who have been so badly harmed.”

President of the Palmilla Neighborhood Board Juvenal Bravo Cuevas, who is also a representative of the Rural Community Union that has 27 neighborhood councils, reported that, “The help is wonderful. Many of our neighbors were extremely affected in the rural area and the neighborhood committees lost a lot of houses to the fires, so the aid that has been provided is very important. I want to thank CMPC because they have given us a great deal of support. Personally I can say that thanks to them my house was not burned down.” 

Lastly, Mayor Toloza emphasized that this delivery was not the first aid offered. “They have already been supporting us with hay bales and a great deal of other aids, such as CMPC’s commitment to rebuild the school that burned down in San Ramón, the commitment to provide potable water for rural areas, as well as poles for building new fences. This is a job that is medium, short and long term.”