Producers in Arequipa, Ica and La Libertad are seriously affected by the roadblocks, especially those that sell grapes, blueberries and asparagus. This was reported by the Association of Agricultural Producers Guilds of Peru (AGAP) to Peru21.
Gabriel Amaro, executive director of the aforementioned union, explained that until Friday of last week there were losses of more than US$150 million and that expected to top $200 million this week if the tracks cannot be released permanently.
“Last week we already had more than US$150 million (lost) in exports (…). The Police had said that they were going to free up the roads somehow, but this has not happened yet. This week we are going to reach more than US$200 million in lost exportsAmaro warned.
AT A CROSSROAD
The difficult situation faced by producers is that it is currently the harvest and export season for table grapes, one of the products that is being most affected by not being able to reach ports on time.
For the AGAP representative, the situation is also critical because “Peru is the world’s leading exporter of table grapes and the entire harvest that comes mainly from Ica and Piura is spoiling.”
In addition, it clarifies that there are also other affected producers, such as those of blueberries, asparagus and onionsboth at the agro-industrial and small farm level.
“By not being able to dispatch properly, the ships do not wait for us. They come to Callao and if the merchandise is not ready, they leave. On the other hand, wholesale customers (buyers from abroad) are not going to wait for you, but are looking for suppliers from other countries such as Chile or other competitors. This is generating irrecoverable losses in small-scale agriculture because the chain of payments in agriculture has already been broken and there are irreparable losses in the business sector,” added Amaro.
ROUTE RELEASE
The context in which the sector finds itself caused AGAP to issue a statement yesterday requesting the release of the blocked roads.
“The Association of Agricultural Producers Guilds of Peru (AGAP) demands that control over national roads be recovered and the bullies and violent acts who seek to take advantage of the struggle and the just demands of our compatriots are investigated and stopped. This requires coordinated work between the Peruvian National Police and the Armed Forces to maintain control over the roads that are constantly under attack,” he said.
The producers’ union asked the Government to “declare the regions where roadblocks and violent acts are taking place, such as Ica, Arequipa and others.”
He also asked that the country’s highways be “immediately unblocked and that they be kept in the custody of the National Police and Armed Forces so that they are not violated again.”
Keep in mind
-AGAP called on “Peruvians, churches, universities, unions and other institutions” to unite for peace, dialogue and internal order.
– “There are people who are taking roads and asking for quotas. We need them to unblock the roads,” Amaro said.
