MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

“The camp is no longer a tame cow to be milked” warn Argentine farmers

Biolcati’s speech received a cheering support during the Palermo opening event

Argentine farmers said on Saturday that the camp is “no longer a tame cow to be milked” by a “predatory government” and blasted “inefficiency and wrong policies”.

However farmers that are involved in a long standing confrontation with the administration of the Kirchner presidential couple again insisted they are “trying to resume dialogue, but we must also build trust”.

The strong statements which were supported by Argentina’s Industrial Union and Chamber of Commerce were said by Luis Biolcati from the powerful Argentine Rural Society during the official opening of the Palermo agro show, an annual event which is a showcase for Argentina’s agriculture and industrial potential.

“The motherland gives us our soul, shows us how to outline the present and how to design the future”, said Biolcati who then mentioned several outstanding personalities of Argentine history “who gave their outmost to build the nation and never asked nothing in return”.

“Men” he said, “who didn’t need superpowers to rule, who died without having to declare their assets and who did so in the dignity of their poverty”.

Biolcati was referring to the Kirchner couple that has ruled Argentina since 2003 with special powers, virtually no congressional control, and who are now accused of having increased their personal fortune several times during that period.

Argentine farmers have been confronted with the Kirchner couple governments for over two years over export taxes on agricultural commodities, tolerable when windfall earnings but which now have become a huge weight for one of the most efficient agricultures in the world, with several sectors becoming non profitable.

It is possible that Argentina will have to import wheat, beef and dairy produce next year because of the situation.

Cut from international credit Argentina desperately needs the farm tax revenue to ensure a primary surplus budget and also hefty trade surpluses.

Biolcati said that the camp protests “but also proposes”, and that is why “every time we have been convened, invited we have sat to discuss” even when none of the meetings so far have rendered any positive results.

He also praised the unity of the Liaison Committee of four different farmers associations which in normal times don’t necessarily agree but “when there’s a major goal, differences are subordinated to that superior ideal”.

The four organizations have been responsible for leading the farmers’ protests.

Biolcati recalled events of the last twelve months, including the “positive NO” from vice president Julio Cobos who cast the defining vote in Congress against the taxing scheme and was a turning point for the Kirchner couple.

At the mid term elections at the end of June Mr. Kirchner and his Front for Victory were defeated thus loosing control of both houses in Congress with their standing rapidly eroding. Also vanishing are the chances of another Kirchner president in 2011.

Since then, the government “an insatiable predator” far from beginning to design a coherent farm policy, “has simply shown insensitivity towards the sufferings of thousands of farmers”, said Biolcati, adding that on June 28th, “people voted for us, for our proposals, 12 million Argentines”.

“Camp is no longer the tame cow to be milked to cover the cost of inefficiency and the wrong policies. We tried to continue dialogue, but we need to cultivate confidence”, he underlined.

Hector Mendez and Cristiano Ratazzi, from the Argentine Industrial Union, present at the Palermo inauguration ceremony praised the speech and the demands from farmers.

“This is not only about the camp, all sectors of the Argentine economy need an end to the conflict so the country can again begin to grow”, said Carlos de la Vega from the Chamber of Commerce.

“It was a balanced and complete speech” said Ratazzi CEO from Fiat Argentina.

No government representatives or congressional members from the ruling coalition were present at the event.

Later in the day, Interior Minister Aníbal Fernandez was asked about the speech and replied he had not listened to it and had “more serious things to look after”.