Buenos Aires - Argentina's government and farmer leaders
exchanged harsh words Wednesday, following the rural organizations'
call to another strike from Friday amidst one of the country's worst
droughts in 100 years.
The four farmers' unions said late Tuesday that they would stop
delivering cereal crops for export and cattle for domestic and
foreign consumption for six days starting Friday.
Farming is one of the engines of the Argentine economy, and its
leaders managed to block earlier this year a government bill to
increase tariffs on the export of soybean and sunflower seeds through
a series of strikes.
Farmers' federations called for a further strike based on the
difficult situation following a severe drought, the fall in the price
of their produce in international markets and what they see as the
lack of a suitable policy for the sector on the part of the centre-
left government.
While in previous strikes, farmers explicitly demanded and got the
government to reduce tariffs on their export products, this time, the
farmers have not clearly stated their demands - only that they want
to talk to the government.
They have the support of a growing anti-government coalition that
is not farm-based.
'It looks like what we do is never enough,' complained Agriculture
Minister Carlos Cheppi.
'Now it looks like we are to blame because it does not rain. Let
them ask (Cardinal Jorge) Bergoglio to pray harder, to make it rain.
We cannot handle the clouds,' pro-government legislator Carlos Kunkel
sarcastically told the radio station Continental in Buenos Aires.
The current drought is according to experts the worst in 100 years
in Argentina, and it has been affecting central and northern parts of
the country for six months, despite the rain of recent days.
Farmers' unions have said there will be no road blockades in their
protest, although small producers' leader Eduardo Buzzi warned that
this might change in the face of 'provocation' from the government.
Buzzi stressed that the strike 'will have no impact on consumers.'
'This is linked to fielding demands as a call to order, it does
not aim to affect the economy,' he noted.
The strikes started in March, when the government raised tariffs
on agricultural exports. The farmers' protest led to severe shortages
in urban centres and caused a serious political crisis for the
government.
The executive eventually agreed to have Congress decide on the
proposed tariffs, and the proposal failed due to the surprising vote
against of Vice President Julio Cobos in the Senate.
USA
Your Talkback on this Story