Argentine farmers promise that “claims from our sector will keep coming”

Wednesday, October 19th 2011 - 06:32 UTC

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Biolcati described President Cristina Fernandez visit to a farmers’ organization as “a nice gesture”

Argentine Rural Society’s head, Hugo Biolcati, praised the visit President Cristina Fernández made to Coninagro farmers’ federation, but emphasized that “the claims from our sector will keep coming.”

Biolcati remarked that “it was a nice gesture” to see the President meeting with Coninagro’s head, Carlos Garetto, and added: “But the problems are still struggling, and claims won’t stop.”

Even though, the SRA leader indicated that the President “showed a change of attitude, and a very important political sign”, he also warned “but it doesn’t mean that there’s going to be a change of the agricultural policies, or that she (CFK) will finally recognize our claims. Anyway, I saw it as a sincere approach to the farming sector, and not as a mere campaigning act.”

Coninagro together with SRA, the Argentine Agrarian Federation, FAA and the Argentine Rural Confederation, CRA, are part of the Liaison table which commanded the struggle against the administration of CFK to protest export taxes on cereals and oilseeds triggered by the Resolution 125/2008.

The conflict led to road blockades by protesting farmers who also abstained from sending produce to market, and finally there was a major showdown in Congress when vice-president Julio Cobos turned around and delivered the decisive vote repealing the controversial Resolution 125.

The President Cristina Fernandez administration was shaken to its roots and in the mid term election of 2009 lost control of both houses. However a divided opposition enabled the government to survive and continue with its export tax and quotas policy privileging domestic consumers (and voters).

At the meeting with Coninagro a conciliatory CFK was quoted saying she insisted all Argentine sectors should work together towards “consolidating the dialogue in order to make a stronger nation”.

Another member of the Liaison table also had some comments on the Coninagro meeting with the president, who on Sunday will most probably be re-elected for another four year term.

Eduardo Buzzi, FAA president, described the meeting “as just another campaign act” adding that in spite of the social meeting “there is no clue whatsoever of a possible change in agricultural policies”

Furthermore, the FAA's head indicated that “What happened yesterday was a clearly attempt to install a campaign message saying that the government made peace with the farming sector, but everything is just the way it was before with the government benefiting large producers and harming the small and medium ones.”