Jorge Quispe / La Paz
The Agricultural Chamber of Cochabamba, the Union of Banana Growers of the Tropics and the Community Organization of Banana Producers, through a statement, denounced in the last hours that 20,000 producer families are at risk of being affected after the Argentine Government decided to defer in 180 days payment to suppliers in Cochabamba.
“The measure will make the banana production chain unsustainable and will affect more than 20,000 families, which is why a state of emergency is declared, requesting President Luis Arce for his direct intervention in order to avoid a social and economic crisis in the sector,” he says. the pronouncement. According to the complaint, in March, the Comprehensive Import Monitoring System and the Central Bank of the Republic of Argentina tightened and also “have deferred payment to exporters for imported products for 180 days, which, as the main banana exporters, It puts us in an untenable situation.”
For this reason, the banana growers request that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs carry out negotiations with their Argentine peers to “find solutions.” Producer Víctor Eíd told Página Siete that a week ago they had been seeking to meet with the government. “We cannot expect to be paid in 180 days, 60 or 30 days, so we await a solution from the Government.”
In March, banana growers were affected by a blockade in the Las Cruces-Buena Vista sector, so dozens of Argentine trucks were unable to continue to Buenos Aires and others from Argentina were also unable to reach the production centers.
The problem arises when the main producer of bananas in the region, Ecuador, seeks to accommodate in Argentina the merchandise that it cannot sell to Russia and that could affect Bolivia.
Income to the country
- Means The document recalls that the agricultural sector, and in particular the banana sector, annually generate thousands of jobs and income of 50 million dollars per year.
- Damage On more than one occasion, roadblocks in Bolivia have caused producers to waste entire boxes of bananas, a highly perishable product.
