MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentine farmers reject gov. attempts to divide them

Argentine farmers' organizations have anticipated that they will only meet with government officials as a group and reject efforts to divide them. The warning follows statements from Argentina's new Agriculture minister who argued the liaison committee lacks “representativeness” hinting he would talk to each farm association on an individual basis.

"We hope that (new Agriculture Secretary Carlos Cheppi) will invite the whole liaison committee as soon as possible" said Luciano Miguens, head of the Argentine Rural Society (SRA). "Not to do so (i.e. to invite each group separately) would be a mistake... There have been many efforts to divide us." Talking to reporters at Buenos Aires City Rural Society's traditional farm show in Palermo, he added that if the government invites the SRA on a separate basis, the SRA will turn down the invitation. He also said that there have been some government efforts "to boycott" the show. Several government ministries and offices as well as provincial governments, --some had already made down payments--, cancelled at last moment their participation in the Palermo agro-show which is the largest of the country. SRA is one of Argentina's four largest farm associations which led a four-month rebellion that ended on June 20 and forced the administration of President Cristina Kirchner to roll back higher export duties, clamped in March, and to reshuffle her Cabinet. Cheppi, who took office last week, was quoted saying that the farmers' liaison committee lacked "representativeness," hinting that he would talk to each farm association on an individual basis. But Silvio Corti, a leader of the Argentine Agrarian Federation (FAA) said the Argentine government was "autistic" and that farmers would adopt a cautious stance in the face of possible individual invitations "in the hope that those are just bargaining fireworks". He added that farmers were more united than ever and that the FAA turned down an invitation by Buenos Aires provincial Agricultural Affair Secretary Deborah Giorgi to meet them on Tuesday. "We rejected the individual invitation by the provincial government, in line with how we intend to treat any possible individual invitation by the national government". As a token of unity, Corti added, even maverick producers were now proposing to make a mandatory contribution to support united activity. The liaison committee â€" also formed by the Argentine Rural Confederation (CRA) and the Coninagro farm co-operatives lobby â€" would propose how to distribute those funds, he said. Alfredo De Angeli, another outstanding leader of the farm rebellion, considered that the farm crisis was far from over. Corti said that cattle and dairy activity were in a "terminal crisis" and that provincial economies and futures markets were severely impaired. (BAH).-