In the course of the administration of Gustavo Petro, the Government set out to reach a series of agreements with the agricultural sector. While there are advances in some of them, the same sectors say that not everyone has been 100%fulfilled.
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The closest example is with the rice sector with which the Petro government has already reached agreements to advance the crises facing the region. However, Some like the Pope sector still face problems and negotiations do not seem to move forward.
According to the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Martha Carvajalino, there is a positive balance in terms of agricultural sectors. The official, in an interview with Portfolio, He acknowledged that there are at least advances in palm, cane, cocoa, vegetables, among others.
In relation to the main product of agriculture, coffee, the Government signed last year the ‘Great National Coffee Agreement’ containing 13 points that cover from financing to technical assistance for grain producers. While this alliance was with coffee associations, Portfolio confirmed that this plan has not advanced.
According to Óscar Gutiérrez, executive director of agricultural dignities, the signing of that agreement has not had any advance. Specifically, the manager said that there is no favorable process, in terms of what many coffee producers say, that it is a much more democratic management of the Federation of National Coffee Growers. “That has really had no practical development“He added.
For its part, the Carvajalino Minister explained that the Government has not breached, although many things are missing to strengthen within the framework of the associative processes. “That coffee chain that formed has a difficulty and is that it does not manage the fund, because the fund administers by virtue of a contract made by the Ministry of Finance, the National Federation of Coffee Growers, but our commitment fundamentally is in the Colombian massif, which is the new coffee zone”He said.
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The Pope faces overproduction and low prices: the government investigates contraband from Ecuador and there is still no agreement with the producers.
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There, the head of the portfolio emphasized that they have the idea of strengthening these processes, for which it has been working with the Unit of Solidarity Organizations of the Ministry of Labor, plus the accompaniment of the SENA to producers in organizational processes and market diversification.
Now, based on what Gutiérrez, there are some partial compliments regarding the issues with the onion, with the impediment of smuggling, but what happened with the rice continues to happen, where the agreed agreements were not fulfilled and the rice strike was reached.
However, Minister Carvajalino stressed that in issues such as vegetables, vegetables, fruits, potatoes, onion, there are complex situations. “In the onion we managed to attend last year’s unemployment with several measures, where we also believe that the hortifrusco fund must play a different role”He said.
To the above, Carvajalino referred to the fact that said Fund does not make the collection and sufficient formalization of producerswhile also attending the situations of producers and products.
Another of the agricultural sectors that call for agreements, and they are fulfilled, is that of the Pope. The tuber, especially in the Cundiboyacense area, has presented an overproduction, while living a fall in the marketing price.
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The Hortifrusco Fund is in the sight: Minister Carvajalino questioned her low effectiveness in collection and attention to onion producers, potatoes and vegetables.
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This line of the agricultural economy asked to meet with the portfolio, to expose the crisis he faces, while threatened to enter unemployment. While the meeting was held, Óscar Gutiérrez said that An agreement is not yet reachedwhich can lead to a “conflict.”
Regarding the potato, Carvajalino indicated that production is not yet reached the prepaandia levels and that the price has dropped by seasonal factors and by concentration in marketing. He also noted that complaints about the irregular entry of potatoes are being investigated from the southern border. “We went to Ipiales with the Minister of Commerce to reinforce an intensive smuggling, evasion and money laundering plan”He said.
It is worth noting that with what was said by the Executive Director of Agricultural Dignities, so far there is a part of compliance with the agreements and there are others that continue to work. “We cannot say that there is total compliance. Some are partial compliance and other breaches also”He said.
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Technical assistance, the great claim of agriculture: the Ministry recognizes failures for the privatization of the service and asks for greater commitment of guilds with public resources.
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The advances highlighting minegriciculture with the sectors
According to what was said by Minister Carvajalino, of the balances to highlight within the work with the agro sector is The renewal of the contract with Fedepalma for the administration of the Palmero Development Fund and the Price Stabilization Fund.
“This year the Fedealma contract for 10 years is renewed. We have been discussing and negotiating the conditions of that contract. We hope that in this second semester it will be signed”, Said the minister.
In the face of the livestock sector, he highlighted the agreement reached with Fedegán for the acquisition of productive lands, within the framework of the Agrarian Reform. “We managed to reach an agreement so that fertile lands that are not being used today can be sold to the State at commercial value“, said.
He also stressed that Fedegán is the guild with which the most dialogue has maintained, given its role in the administration of meat and milk funds, as well as in the National Bovine Vaccination Program. “We keep a follow -up to ICA in terms of mobilization guides and information processes. We have found a dialogue that has allowed us to recognize ourselves within the framework of the difference”
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The Government highlights advances with Fedepalma and Fedegán: Fedealma’s contract for 10 years will be renewed and more than 37,000 hectares have been bought with Fedegán’s support.
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According to ministry data, Of the more than 400,000 hectares linked to the agreement with Fedegán, more than 37,000 have already been acquired to owners postulated by that guildfor a value of $ 141,000 million, an amount of which there is still a part to pay the government.
In front of the cane, he explained that with its Asocaña guild, joint actions have been executed in the north of Cauca to promote territorial governance through technical assistance aimed at peasant, black and indigenous communities. “We have achieved that these communities are reached with support for diversification of crops such as panelera, cocoa and coffee cane”He said.
On the National Cocoa Fund, the minister recognized questions about the administration, although she highlighted the good market behavior. “There is a discussion regarding representativeness, there are complaints about the administration, but it is a fund that has been operating in an exceptional price context”He said.
(See more: Boyacá’s potato producers gather with minegriciculture: Will there be unemployment?)
With Asocaña, diversification is promoted in the north of Cauca: assistance to communities for panel, cocoa and coffee crops are provided.
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He warned that one of the main claims received by the Ministry from the producers is the lack of technical assistance. He pointed out that the privatization of the service and the de -financing of the municipal technical units has weakened the institutional capacity. “There is no efficient and sustainable agriculture if there is no adequate technical assistance. In this country it was decided to privatize it. Many municipalities do not have sumata and the nation hired privately to serve the producers,” he said.
The minister highlighted the models of technical assistance that operate some guilds, such as the National Federation of Coffee Growers and Fedepalma, which use parafiscal funds resources to provide direct attention to their affiliates. “The guilds that manage public resources must play an important role in technical assistance”He said.
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Diana K. Rodríguez T.
Portfolio journalist
