When the Provincial Directorate of Economy and Planning issued its year-end report in January, the chapter on losses in the agricultural sector had only this single line of praise: "the Invasive Livestock Route shows a discreet downward trend."

So, ending up by losing more than four million pesos meant the least of the possible evils; above all, if we take into account that already in May its deputy director, Jorge Luis Pérez Delgado, admitted to Invasor accumulated losses of 2 520 473.

Everything indicates that, although the rate of problems slowed down in the remaining seven months, the forecast issued by its deputy director of "recovering in the coming months until we close the year well" was not possible.

Now, another document, from February 2023, confirms this, not only in the section on losses ─associated, fundamentally, with non-compliance with sales, excess costs, deaths and shortages of animals─, but also in that of other indicators, also deteriorated.

The balance sheet report of the Invader Route agricultural company reflects how net sales were not met, despite having over-fulfilled the sale of goods destined for export, and how they spent more than what they received, even when what was planned left a very narrow margin to the profits that ─obviously─ they did not have either.

The figures show that the delivery of milk reached 2,649,689 liters, 84 percent of what was planned, with half a million liters due to the plan, a balance where three units had a negative weight, in particular, the Raymundo Martínez Credit and Services Cooperative, which a decade ago was the largest producer in the province, with 2 million liters.

However, the rosary of causes that the report cites is striking: poor recruitment, lack of check-ups, poor management, feeding, low reproduction, milking routine, shortage of inputs, the death of 2053 cattle (females, around half).

Although of that figure, due to malnutrition, “barely” 380 heads were counted, it is alarming that the company has received only 3 percent of the antibiotics and antiparasitics that it demanded. How many of those deaths would actually be unavoidable? It is a question that does not say in the report nor does it contain the deaths, but that beyond conjecture, describes a harsh reality with which Route also had to deal.

They fared better with meat, falling behind only a little (98 percent), while the cooperative production agreement, which included 11 of its 23 units, was confirmed as a positive fact by representing 16 percent of the entity's revenue.

Despite the negative balances, according to the report to which Invasor had access, higher plans are proposed for this 2023, so future interviews should detail the bases on which growth is proposed, when reality, in terms of resources and conditions, looks similar (or worse).

Nevertheless, the fact that January has closed with all its favorable economic indicators and that the entity's perspective includes a local development project, which should result in higher income, and betting on secondary activities in the sowing of grains and food, it could mean the straightening of your financial route, although your line seems crooked if we are talking about more meat and milk, right?Such detours could ensure their survival and that is a cost-effective path that, right now, Invader Route does not hesitate to take.