This Monday afternoon, President Laurentino Cortizo, received in the Peace Room of the Presidency of the Republic a group of national agricultural producers, who have expressed their concern about the increase in chemicals and supplies.
During the meeting, Cortizo assured that regarding this issue, situations such as the Covid-19 pandemic and the current global crisis of containers influence.
In the middle of the meeting, the president received from the hands of the Highland Producers Association, a report of agreements reached to date, after said union organized the first agricultural presidential debate before Cortizo won the elections in 2019, and in which he promised to carry out a series of actions in their favor.
“Almost two years of facing the pandemic, and I had not done this exercise, and it does not surprise me because we have worked very hard, but between what we committed is around between 90 and 95% progress”, said “Nito” .
The head of state said that there are still projects to continue advancing and communicated to the producers that when his administration ends, “not to return to the practices of abusing the producers of this country, who have given their face to this country ensuring quality food. “
For his part, the Minister of Agricultural Development (Mida), Augusto Valderrama, mentioned that the meeting was a balance between President Cortizo and the producers’ union, after two years of work. “For a long time the producer had been dealing with these situations and they had not been done, such as suspending the excessive imports that damaged the national production causing losses to the producers, as well as the elimination of the Aupsa, which was a highway of Panamanian importance. and the regulations were not complied with, “he added.
The president of the Highland Producers Association, Augusto Jiménez, revealed that with the impact of hurricane ETA and IOTA, and with an addendum of $ 1.8 million, it will affect practically the 5 townships of Highlands so that the production roads remain in asphalt binder.
He anticipated that a document prepared in conjunction with the Chamber of Commerce of Panama and Chiriquí, on the elimination of the price control, had already been sent to Cortizo’s office. “As of January 2, we ask that this issue not be postponed because we know that with the rise in inputs we will no longer put up with the issue of price control, because they will not give profit margins even if we sell potatoes and the onion at a price, the rise in inputs we know is a problem at the national level, “said the producer.
He stressed that they are willing to contribute their grain of sand, specifying that “if we have to contribute from our pocket to buy fertilizers three times a year, part of the Government and another part of us so that it is not just asking, we will do it and thus, go ahead”.
