The producers of the Miranda municipality, in Timotes, Mérida state, have made an emergency call to the national government. The president of the association, Andrés Eloy Ramírez, demands the immediate repair of the agricultural routes which were seriously damaged by the rains of June 24.
During an interview in the program Point and we continue of Radio Fe y Alegría Noticias, Ramírez said that the Motatan River overflowed and caused great damage. The flood devoted with Housing, Earth extensions, irrigation systems and considerable amount of vegetable crops.
“They took the machinery that was working on the channeling of the Motatán River and we see that sections of the road quite long and important, of about 300 to 400 meters, took the flow of the river and has not been done more,” he warned.
The situation on agricultural roads could be aggravated
Ramírez expressed concern about the future, because he fears that the road situation worsen with the next rains and snowfall. He warned that Troncal 007, which joins Mérida with Trujillo, and the Timotes-La Puerta road, are at risk. He pointed out that this last route is abandoned, although there is an operational toll in the broken town of Cuevas.
The impact of the situation has been devastating for farmers. The roads in poor condition have caused significant delay in the delivery of crops to the collection centers And they have left Incommunicated communities. In order to transfer their products, farmers have had to resort to desperate measures, such as improvisationputting their lives at risk.
“The dispatch time is advanced so that these vegetables arrive in a timely manner and that there will be no shortage,” he added.
Producers in Mérida denounce Colombian prices and smuggling
Ramírez denounced the fall in vegetable prices. He denounced that one lettuce basket 10 to 12 kilos is being sold for only 0.50 dollarsproblem that he said is directly related to the smuggling from Colombia.
“The markets are crowded with Colombian production that affects and decreases the price of our vegetables. We see with concern that the complaints we have made are not taken into consideration,” he claimed.
Ramírez said that despite his efforts to meet with the Governors of Táchira and Zulia to address these problems, Your requests have been unattended. Meanwhile, the producers in the region are still ignoredand the Tax evasion Continue without control.
