Interview with Javier Noguera: "Beyond the House of Tucumán"

The best way to defend the government and our party is doing the right things, because when things are done well and properly communicate with the public responds accordingly. This is the case of our friend Javier Noguera , in Tucuman and the head of the Technology Innovation Section is carrying out a task admirably. Here is a story where the partner has the latest.

For Leonardo Moledo p / PAG 12 (3 FEB 2010).
The hypothetical rider rode to Tucuman and learned that there is a very different landscape than I imagined, full of sugar and nothing else. There bioethanol, there are soy, no lemon. And while the lemon is sour, not for progress.

- What are the main actions in Tucumán in technological innovation?

-Tucumán has a history of technological development. For 200 years is installed here the first heavy industry of the country, the sugar industry. Already from the time many of the issues associated with the knowledge received a strong stimulus. A hundred years ago that operates Colombres Experimental Station Obispo, one of the most important strongholds in the country in regard to both scientific and technological expertise in linking knowledge production as well as its management model. This is added in the early '70s CONICET technological and scientific centers. Tucumán bourgeoisie has always been concerned about the progress, which does not mean it is progressive. It has a very important conservative enclave. Think of the Bussi government was democratically elected.

-The dictatorship here left important marks of persecution and death.

-Probably the most notable consequences.

- And how innovation is injected into a cross by contradictions and society in a context so different from 200 years ago?

-Assuming challenges. One of the most important is the industry in technological terms Tucuman is the generation of biofuels. Tucumán is a great opportunity today. Since last year has put into effect the law 26.093 of biofuels, which introduces mandatory 5 percent of biofuels into the matrix of gasoline.

- And have some experience in this?

-There is a long tradition. Already in 1922, the Experimental Station Obispo Colombres reported on the possibility of using alcohol as fuel. In 1979 he launched from the Experimental Station gasohol Plan began in 1981 in Tucuman massive sale. He had a cut of 12 percent ethyl alcohol. Initially joined the program Salta and Jujuy and in 1987 came to join the program twelve provinces.

- Then what happened?

The capacity of the industry and the reeds were sufficient to meet demand, but the lack of policies to stimulate the activity and the recovery of the international price of sugar caused the Plan was diluted gasohol.

-For residues generated by these industries, what is the policy in Tucumán?

-For every gallon of ethanol that we produce we are throwing into the river 13 liters of vinasse. The stillage is a residue, which is not toxic but is highly polluting river ecosystems. It has lowered the level of impact by 80 percent of the pollution from sewage and slaughterhouse workers, but not yet in regard to the treatment of vinasse. The solution from the technological point of view to solve this problem is the installation of anaerobic digesters.

-Biotechnology in action ...

Yes. But I tell you more. In December 2008, a citrus to the demand of the residents of the town of Tafi Viejo, because they could not stand the stench that the plant generated each year in the area, decided to make a complaint to the Ministry of Environment through direct action and short route. Cornered by this situation, the company sent two technical managers around Europe and Chile to acquire technology for organic waste treatment industry. Finally they decide to do with the University of Valparaiso, with a complex development in biodigesters. But the curious thing is that he had been transferred 15 years ago by the Proimi, CONICET tucumano laboratory at that time was piloted by Faustino Siñeriz, currently Vice President of CONICET.

-Many of the entrepreneurs may not have the faintest idea that the environment is scientific and technical specialists tucumano that can help solve a problem like that.

There was absolutely unknown. As a result we contacted Faustino and equipment Siñeris Proimi (Process Pilot Plant Microbial) and started to activate this technology, which in Tucuman was 20 years asleep. There is an awakening in this, our province is developing a pilot plant. I also believe that this technology now joins social maturity, the company claims for its environmental rights and the mills have to invest. Wiebe Bijker Dutchman, one of the founders of the new sociology of technology, I would say that "technology has to fit into society." The social awareness of environmental damage has been growing steadily in recent years, the result of more and better information on the scope of the damage, as well as the dedication of new rights.

Let's talk about the awakening of the scientific-technological linkages, innovative, the link between the productive sector and the knowledge sector here in Tucumán.

-There are up here a serious deficit in regard to the knowledge of what is done in laboratories associated with the CONICET. Not so with the Experimental Station, which is already spliced ​​into a history of political tradition, institutional production. Each branch of industrial activity is represented in the directory that what is down the line on which line of research has to move the station from a specific demand of the productive sector. Today the level of technology that has the agribusiness in Tucumán is at the forefront in each of the items. The citrus in Tucuman and technology package globally are also strawberries and sugar cane, the most emblematic of our crops.

'Of course, I would imagine that not all reeds.

-Today, from the point of view of the crude product of sugar cane does not represent what they represent more intensive activities, such as bilberry, which requires much labor. There are important crops such as soybeans, which has 220 000 hectares compared to 190 000 of cane sugar. But then there are 45 thousand hectares of lemon, which occupy 100 hectares to 300 people, while per 1000 hectares of soybeans are 3 jobs. There you can see how the gross product of each activity by its technological package has a decisive impact.

- What examples can you give me the technology package and agricultural production?

-The production of lemon. It's the most important activities of the past 50 years. The history of the citrus industry is directly related to the research conducted at the Experimental Station, which since its founding 100 years ago had a very high professionalism in terms of recruiting staff. As a result of years of support to producers, Experimental Station has put together the technology package that is available to anyone who wants to invest today in citrus in Tucuman.

'I work hard it is clear that the productive sector and social level. Did you do any experience of innovation?

-The Yogurito, yogurt lactic acid bacteria developed by CERELA is an excellent example of technology transfer with a social function. He won the national contest "Innovation". The Yogurito replacement is distributed in the glass of milk in schools for two years tucumanas a hundred thousand children a day in an effort by the provincial government and the CONICET.

Report: Ignacio Jawtuschenko.