MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentine minister vows to halt speculative imports of unnecessary items

“We have all the tools to optimize all the productive sectors so that they continue to grow,” Scioli pointed out.

Argentina's Productive Development Minister Daniel Scioli has announced he would step in to curb speculative imports and stop those who take advantage of the existing dual exchange rate between the local peso and the US dollar.

The former Vice President and Governor of Buenos Aires made those remarks during a meeting with dignitaries from the Argentine Industrial Union (UIA).

“An economy that has recovered vigorously demands more dollars, more diesel fuel, and more human resources,” Scioli told reporters.

“People can rest assured that this is a government that defends national industry and jobs. There are some who may, in this context of a gap of these characteristics, or who thought that there was going to be a devaluation, may have started to import things they did not need,” Scioli argued.

“Whatever can be manufactured in the country we have to defend it,” he added.

Scioli also met Tuesday with his Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries colleague Julián Domínguez, with whom he concurred on the need to “industrialize rurality.”

“We want to strengthen a productive integration model that is already industrializing, adding value, and generating more jobs,” said Domínguez.

“We are building a state policy for the organization of the cooperative system. This changes the axis of agricultural policy,” he added.

“There is a great effort of the National Government to support the development of each activity and we have all the tools to optimize all the productive sectors so that they continue to grow,” Scioli pointed out.

Scioli also discussed with UIA Chairman Daniel Funes de Rioja the role of SMEs in the federal productive scheme and the challenges of Mercosur in the new geopolitical scenario.

“Argentina must transform recovery into growth, and for that, we need to reach a consensus on an agenda that values industrial assets and provides answers to the difficulties that arise in productive matters,” Funes de Rioja said.