BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA — Louis Dreyfus Co. (LDC) has acquired a grain and oilseeds collection facility in the Trilí province of La Pampa, Argentina, which will be ready to receive and condition grains in December following planned improvements and reactivation.

The facility has a capacity of 1,600 tonnes in silos and 40,000 tonnes in silo bags. The plant will be able to process significant volumes and different varieties of cereals and oilseeds throughout the year, LDC said. Its connection to the Domingo Faustino Sarmiento Railway will facilitate the shipment of local production to LDC’s agro-industrial complex in General Lagos, Santa Fe, and its deep-water port complex in Bahía Blanca, Buenos Aires.

“The acquisition of this elevator represents a strategic investment to further reinforce LDC origination activities in the country, supporting logistics from the field to the port thanks to its rail connectivity and complementarity with the already existing LDC stockpiles in the provinces from La Pampa and Buenos Aires,” said Daniel Giuliano, stockpile manager for Latin America South and West at LDC. “LDC’s increased presence in the province will also allow us to provide local producers with access to our entire portfolio of integrated solutions, including logistical and financial facilities, as well as a range of varieties of seeds, fertilizers and plant protection products marketed under the brands Macro Seed, Macro Fertil and Macro Protect from LDC.” 

This is the second facility in the province and 11th in Argentina for Netherlands-based LDC. Once operational, the Trilí Acopio is expected to directly employ a dozen people and generate additional indirect jobs in nearby communities.

In its most recent earnings report, LDC said its global footprint of the Grains & Oilseeds platform was key in securing strong financial performance in the first half of the year. The International Grains Council is projecting Argentina to produce 44 million tonnes of soybeans, 16.6 million tonnes of wheat and 61 million tonnes of corn for the 2023-24 marketing year. The South American nation currently is the world’s largest exporter of soybean meal.