In order to avoid a shortage of dairy products in the country, the Cabinet Council approved temporarily modifying the national import tariff on whole milk powder.
The Minister of Agricultural Development, Augusto Valderrama, explained that the tariff reduction would be 0% until December 31, 2022 or an earlier date when the imported quantities exceed 1,600 metric tons.
Minister Valderrama pointed out that this input has been described as a sensitive product for the national economy.
“Currently the national production of whole milk powder from domestic raw milk is almost nil, which means that the national industry that produces dairy products and uses this milk as a raw material depends on the import of this input,” he said.
He stressed that the milk processing industry, a user of this raw material, submitted to the Agricultural Milk Chain the request for the import without tariffs of a volume of 1,600 metric tons of whole milk powder to have sufficient raw material and competitive costs. to meet the needs and meet the demand for dairy products.
Meeting on May 25, this agri-food chain agreed to recommend the temporary reduction of said tariff.
Valderrama highlighted that since July 1, 2019, President Cortizo Cohen has worked to recover the confidence of producers by strengthening agri-food chains, where producers, industrialists, merchants, importers and consumers are present.
“This has contributed to guaranteeing and bringing what is really needed, without abuses as occurred in past administrations,” Valderrama pointed out.
