At just three years old, Javier Novoa crossed the Andes from Chile to Argentina with his parents, who were searching for a new beginning. Nearly fifty years later, Novoa leads an onion enterprise in the Valle de Viedma, managing around 100 hectares and exporting much of his harvest to Brazil.
Novoa’s story is rooted in perseverance. When his family first arrived in Río Negro in 1974, they had neither land nor equipment. Instead, they worked other farmers’ fields under sharecropping agreements, contributing their labor in exchange for a portion of the crop. Common in the region, the arrangement helped them survive and slowly build a foundation for their own future.
Building a Family Business
Progress came gradually. The Novoa family began by splitting harvests “fifty-fifty” with landowners, and over the years, their efforts paid off. Today, Javier works alongside his brother and a business partner, cultivating onions on owned and leased land. In some cases, instead of paying fixed rent, they give the landowner 15% of the yield. The flexible arrangement benefits both parties and enables crop rotation, which is critical for soil health and long-term productivity.
This collaborative approach reflects an agricultural field where flexibility and trust underpin many business relationships. The ability to rotate fields and negotiate production-based payments has helped Novoa’s operation remain resilient in a competitive market. That ability to recover matters in a valley where weather can affect crop health and harvest timing. INTA agronomist Musi Saluj put annual rainfall in the Valle Inferior at about 390 to 400 millimeters, while warning that summer storms can bring 50, 100 or even 120 millimeters within a few hours.
New idea Drives Yields
A turning point came three seasons ago, when Novoa’s team adopted drip irrigation, leaving traditional watering methods behind. The impact was immediate: yields jumped from 2,000 to 3,000 bags per hectare to more than 4,000, with current harvests reaching 70,000 to 80,000 kilos per hectare. Novoa aims to raise that figure to 100,000 kilos, a goal he is pursuing with new technology.
Quality has improved alongside quantity. Novoa is exploring hybrid seeds, which promise better results but come at a steep price, up to seven times more than standard varieties. Despite the cost, he sees them as a necessary investment to stay competitive and meet international buyers’ demands.
Brazil: A Lifeline for Exports
Brazil remains the primary destination for onions grown in the Valle de Viedma. Shipments cross the border, and Brazilian buyers also travel directly to Novoa’s farm to secure produce. The domestic Argentine market plays a secondary role, gaining importance when export prices fall or external demand shifts. Weather and trade can be closely linked: Saluj has noted that torrential rain in southern Brazil can damage its onion crop, improving export opportunities for producers in Río Negro.
Río Negro has a longer history of onion businesses serving overseas markets. La Nación reported that a company operating in Chimpay, which produced and exported garlic and onions, was Europe’s leading onion exporter in 2012 and 2013 and also shipped to Brazil. Brazil’s Comex Stat database, maintained by the country’s Foreign Trade Secretariat, records import and export data dating back to 1997, including net weight and FOB value in U.S. dollars.
Years ago, European markets were also open to Argentine onions, but those opportunities have since closed. Novoa remains hopeful that renewed interest from European companies could revive this trade. For now, stronger prices have lifted the sector’s mood: while a bag sold for just 500 pesos last season, this year prices have climbed to 5,000 pesos per bag, with the kilo trading between 250 and 350 pesos.
In The Future
Modern machinery and advanced irrigation have helped Novoa tailor his business model to the realities of international trade. His operation shows what determination and adaptation can achieve. The family that once worked other people’s land now shapes the identity of the Valle de Viedma’s onion industry.
Novoa’s story reflects a broader change in rural economies, where new idea and ability to recover are changing long-standing practices. Similar efforts to adapt and invest in infrastructure can be seen elsewhere in the region, including Switzerland’s ambitious underground transport network, which is reshaping how goods move across Europe. The development is explored in detail here.
As Novoa continues to invest in technology and seek new markets, his journey offers an example of how migrant families can adapt and thrive, leaving a lasting mark on the communities they join.
