Argentina: Farmers’ strike takes place in 12 cities

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The paralysis of agricultural producers in Argentina affected the distribution of grains and cattle in 12 cities this Wednesday, July 13. The so-called Federal Day of Demand had the main movement in Gualeguaychú, a town in Entre Ríos province.

According to Clarín newspaper, the largest demonstration took place on the so-called “National Route 14”, a road connecting the provinces of Entre Ríos and Misiones in the northeast of the country. From there, a caravan of cars and tractors left for the intersection with “Ruta Provincial 16”, where an assembly was held among the demonstrators.

The protesters issued a document on behalf of the Board of Directors that calls for an end to the government’s “fiscal voracity” and state interventionism.

“[Governments] must accompany and defend the productive sector in the demands and not aggravate the situation, with more fiscal pressure. We demand clear rules of the game, predictability to continue being one of the most dynamic sectors of the Republic, and that, with our efforts, we can all get out of the crisis in which our dear Argentina finds itself,” the document states.

The strike began at noon and is expected to last 24 hours.

The protest has as main reasons:

• Overpricing of diesel and fertilizers;
• Exchange rate discrepancy;
• Tax pressure on the sector;
• Policies harmful to agriculture;
• Inflation;
• High levels of poverty;
• Fuel shortages;
• Administration of the country’s education and health care.

The chief of staff of Argentina’s government, Juan Manzur, criticized the strike. For him, the paralysis “leads to nothing.” Manzur asked for everyone’s understanding, especially agricultural producers, according to Clarín newspaper. He also mentioned the government’s efforts to solve the strike.

Luis Miguel Etchevehere, a producer and former Agriculture Minister in the Mauricio Macri government (2015-2019), was in Entre Ríos. According to La Nación newspaper, Etchevehere considers the current scenario unpredictable.

“There is no hope because the government is lunatic. Yesterday corn exports were again limited. It is impossible to predict anything with a government like this. They provoke us. There is no way to describe this real madness,” said the former minister.

Jorge Chemes, president of the Argentine Rural Confederations (CRA), considers that the mobilization being carried out by the countryside “is perhaps the result of the accumulation of mistaken measures by the government”.

The Confederation of Small and Medium Enterprises of Argentina said it did not join the strike.

“We are aware of the numerous difficulties that our sector is going through, but we have achieved, through dialogue with national and provincial authorities, some very important measures such as the reduction and, in many cases, the elimination of export taxes that weighed on our products,” the statement said.

“We are convinced that through dialogue with the various national and provincial authorities, we will be able to implement more measures that will bring us profitability and sustainability.”

RISING INFLATION

The demonstrations are held amid an inflation crisis in the country. Argentina’s inflation registered an increase of 5.1% in May. With this result, the country’s price index reached 60.7% in 12 months.

It is the highest value in 30 years. The May variation beat April’s, which had already been the highest since 1992. At the time, Argentina was coming out of a period of hyperinflation and had an annual index of 76%.

With information from Poder360