Buying Ranch Land
In Uruguay
Snapshots
Of A Small and Friendly Prairie Country
by Daniel
Conforte
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| I recently arrived back
to Uruguay after guiding a two weeks agriculture and agribusiness study
tour through Mato Grosso (Brazil), Argentina and Uruguay. It was a trip
I organized for Kansas State University Masters of Agribusiness alumni
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At the end of the trip the group
spent three days visiting Uruguay. One day touring Colonia city, strolling
the old colonial part of the city and also exploring its agricultural surroundings.
Another day crossing the country’s grasslands and cattle heartland and
visiting estancias (“ranches”) like Estancia Rincón of Mr. Rafael
Gallinal in the province of Florida. The rest of the time was spent touring
Punta del Este, a beautiful oceanic beach resort, and Montevideo, Uruguay’s
capital city.
Several features of Uruguay caught
the attention of the group, its landscape of natural grasslands and fresh
water, its slow pace and easygoing way of life, and the open friendliness
of its people at hotels, restaurants and everywhere on the streets.
There might be several slow pace
countries to live on our planet. Uruguay must no doubt be at the top of
the list. It was most striking for visitors to see the 20 kilometers of
Montevideo’s seashore full of people all ages walking, jogging, biking
or just sitting in groups among friends, chatting , sharing mate (a national
herb infusion) and spending time together.
Uruguayans share a Spanish linguistic
and cultural background, even though about one-quarter of the population
is of Italian origin. Its dominant ethnic group is European descendent
which makes for 93% of the population, mostly descendents from Italian
and Spanish immigrants. There are also many descendents from British and
German immigrants. Although Uruguay is among the most secular and religion
blind countries in the world, dominant religion is Roman Catholics 52%,
Protestant and other Christian 16%, Jewish 2% and non professing 32%. Church
and state are officially separated since early 1900’s. |
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| The Author Daniel Conforte and
his wife Virginia in Colonia - Daniel Conforte is founder and managing
director of Farming Uruguay. He has 20 years experience in farm and agribusiness
management. He is head of the department of agribusiness management at
Universidad ORT Uruguay, where he teaches agribusiness marketing and strategy.
His website Farming Uruguay is a gate to investment opportunities in Uruguay's
agriculture. Farming Uruguay provides professional assistance and support
to invest and manage farms in one of the World's last natural grassland
frontier. Visit the website at the following URL
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Montevideo, the
capital city, was founded by the Spanish in the early 18th century as a
military stronghold; its natural harbor soon developed into a commercial
center competing with Argentina's capital, Buenos Aires. Uruguay's early
19th century history was shaped by ongoing conflicts between the British,
Spanish, Portuguese, and colonial forces for dominance in the Argentina-Brazil-Uruguay
region. In 1811, Jose Gervasio Artigas, who became Uruguay's national hero,
launched a successful revolt against Spain. In 1821, the Provincia Oriental
del Rio de la Plata, present-day Uruguay, was annexed to Brazil by Portugal.
The Provincia declared independence from Brazil in August 25, 1825 (after
numerous revolts in 1821, 1823, and 1825) but decided to adhere to a regional
federation with Argentina. The regional federation defeated Brazil after
a 3-year war. The 1828 Treaty of Montevideo, fostered by the United Kingdom,
gave birth to Uruguay as an independent state.
The vision of Montevideo habitants
strolling along the seashore should not give the idea that Uruguayans are
not hard working people.. The country’ per capita income is second only
to Chile in all Latin America. It is simply a different and peculiar approach
to life Uruguayans have. Maybe it is also a different concept of how to
value their lifetime. If you feel like inviting a friend or a neighbor
to joint you for dinner, or for a Sunday asado (barbecue) there is no need
for early invitations and formalities. Plans and scheduled are always open
for change if for better. |
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| Its slow pace shows also regarding
its population growth rate which is of only 0,6% per year. United Nations
forecasts that in 300 more years Uruguayans will still be the same 3,4
million they are today. |
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| Yet, as
slow as Uruguayans may seem to be, they’ve been worldwide first in
a few areas that still make their people feel proud. It was the first country
in Latin America to give women the right to vote in national elections.
It was the first nation in the world to have minimum wage scale for agricultural
workers. Slavery was never permitted and the eight hours work day was established
70 years ago. Last but not least, this small country was the first to win
the World Football (soccer) Championship back in 1930.
Uruguay has traditionally been better
off than many other countries in South America, and is known for its progress
in education, its advanced welfare system and its liberal laws governing
social issues such as divorce. A recent report by IUCN - The World
Conservation Union - presents a ranking of countries based on what they
call The Wellbeing Index , a combination of a Human Wellbeing Index and
Ecosystem Wellbeing Index.. Uruguay is ranked in place 11 in this index
of 180 countries. It also ranks #6 on the World Ranking of the Environmental
Sustainability Index 2002, according to a Study presented by the universities
of Yale and Columbia (U.S.A.) covering a total of 142 nations. On corruption
Uruguay ranks better than most and close to several European countries. |
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On a planet
that is running out of fresh water, Uruguay is a fresh water paradise.
A dense hydrographic network of rivers, streams and lakes, shapes the landscape.
Slightly rolling hills divide the valleys of the larger rivers and their
hundreds of tributaries, irrigate a vast natural prairie. To the south
is the "Río de la Plata" river, "a river as wide as the sea", as
the natives called it. There are hundreds of kilometers of uninterrupted
coastline, most of which has beaches of pure-white sand. The climate is
temperate, rather humid and variable, with no major differences between
summer and winter due mainly to sea influence. The average temperatures
are 23º C in summer, 18º C in autumn, 11º C in winter and
17º C in spring. Exceptionally, in summer temperature can reach 40º
C and in winter it can go down to 3º C. The average annual rainfall
is between 1,000 and 1,300 mm, with minor seasonal variations; less rain
in summer than in winter. There are no important changes in average temperature
or in rainfalls within the different regions of the country. Snowstorms,
hurricanes and earthquakes are unknown. Droughts are not endemic but once
every then years a 20 to 30% rainfall shortage can be expected. |
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Due to its attractive natural and
social characteristics, a growing number of foreigners are moving to Uruguay
or buying properties. Most of them Argentineans, followed by Brazilians
and Europeans. Argentineans are buying land for grain and soybean agriculture
due to favorable price relations and to the convenience of proximity to
major agriculture areas in Argentina such as Buenos Aires province and
Rosario Ports. Whereas one hectare of land for soybean costs US$ 4,000
in Argentina, it costs US$ 1500 in Uruguay.
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| Brazilians
are buying land mostly on the East side of the country for rice production
and cattle raising. As prices of land in Brazil increase, farmers are
looking for new horizons and supplies sources for their cattle industry.
Rice land sale for US$ 800 per hectare and cattle raising land sale between
US$ 400 and US$700 per hectare depending on location and quality - Farming
Uruguay is a gate to investment opportunities in Uruguay's agriculture
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Europeans first arrive on holidays,
attracted by sun and beach. Slowly they discover that there is more than
sun and beach as they explore the country side, and the natural beauties
of Bañados del Este, a Natural Reserve designated by UNESCO. Increasing
numbers of nature and ecotourists and bird watchers are coming, mainly
from northern Europe to discover miles and miles of lonely oceanic beaches
and, as they say, a grasslands “paradise” full of fresh water and pristine
nature. |
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Daniel
Conforte is founder and managing director of Farming Uruguay. His website
Farming Uruguay is a gate to investment opportunities in Uruguay's agriculture.
Farming Uruguay provides
professional assistance and support to invest and manage farms in one of
the World's last natural grassland frontier. You can email
Daniel or Visit the website at the following URL: http://www.internet.com.uy/farmurug/ |
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