Azuay Farmers Can Now Register for Government Direct-Sale Fairs — Here's the Link

The Opportunity

Ecuador's Ministerio de Agricultura y Ganadería has opened registration for small and medium producers who want to participate in ferias agroproductivas (agricultural fairs) in Azuay province, according to El Mercurio (source).

The program targets "pequeños y medianos productores que deseen exhibir y vender sus productos sin intermediarios" — producers who want to sell direct, no middleman.

Who Can Register

• Small and medium agricultural producers in Azuay
• Fresh or processed products — "ya sea fresco o procesado"
• Sanitary registry helpful but not required — the source article specifies that "certificaciones como registro sanitario o el sello de la Agricultura Familiar Campesina (AFC)" are useful but "no se presentan como requisitos excluyentes" (not exclusionary requirements).

That last point matters. A lot of producer programs in Ecuador are gated by formal certifications that small farmers can't reasonably obtain — this one is more accessible.

How to Register

Online form, direct link: https://forms.gle/xnxDZFnC7pHxP17U6

Information required (per El Mercurio):

• Name of the emprendimiento (farming operation / business)
• Producer contact information
• Cantón of origin (which canton the farm is in)
• Product type

What's Not Yet Announced

The source doesn't specify:

• Specific fair dates
• Exact locations across Azuay
• Registration deadline

That information usually follows once the registration list closes. If you register, expect a follow-up from the Ministerio.

What This Means for You

If you're an expat reading this, you're probably not registering — but this matters for the Cuenca food scene:

• More direct-sale fairs means more options for fresh, cheap, local produce in Cuenca and surrounding cantones. These fairs typically rotate through plazas in smaller towns — Paute, Gualaceo, Sigsig, Chordeleg — as well as Cuenca itself.
• Prices at producer-direct fairs are meaningfully lower than at supermercados — often 30–50% less for comparable quality. The tradeoff is you shop seasonally and show up early.
• If you have farming or cooking contacts in rural Azuay, passing this link along is genuinely useful for them. The registration barrier is low. The Google Form is in Spanish but short.
• If you're thinking about a small agro-business yourself — dairy, eggs, specialty herbs, baked goods — this is an entry point that doesn't require the sanitary registry paperwork up front. That's a big deal for people getting started.
• Watch for fair date announcements in local municipal social media and El Mercurio. When dates drop, we'll flag the ones most useful for expat shoppers.

A small notice with real ripple effects for how food moves through Azuay.

Source: El Mercurio