The Government lowers the tone in the crisis over the supply of corn. After accusing large companies, especially poultry farmers, of illegally collecting this grain, yesterday he backed down and said that the companies’ storage is legal and for productive purposes. Of course, the state administration maintained the official rhetoric that grain exists in abundance despite the scarcity of the product due to a severe drought in the Chaco of Santa Cruz, the main corn-producing area of the country.
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Bolivia currently suffers from a corn shortage that led chicken and pig producers to increase the price of these meats, because they require a large quantity of this grain to feed their animals.
The lack of input is due to a climatic factor. A severe drought hit and continues to hit the Chaco of Santa Cruz, the main producer of corn that concentrates more than 50% of the national supply.
But the Government assures that this is not real and maintains emphatically that the grain exists in abundance. In addition, he blamed farmers and businessmen for hiding this product.
From the central level they threatened the farmers with reverting their lands if the maize does not appear. Thus, they also accused agriculture of prioritizing soybean production, neglecting the supply of this grain.
According to the Ministry of Rural Development and Lands, due to this climatic effect, only 50,000 tons were lost. But figures from the Association of Corn and Sorghum Producers (Promasor) say that before the drought, a harvest of 600,000 tons was expected, but now only 200,000 tons will be harvested.
Inspection
Yesterday, the Vice Minister of Defense of User and Consumer Rights, Jorge Silva, lowered the tension a little and softened his speech towards businessmen, especially those who are dedicated to poultry farming.
And it is that, in recent days, he alluded that this sector would be storing the grain irregularly and said that there were four companies that were committing agio. “Businessmen seek to generate a perception” of shortages in the market with the aim of authorizing the importation of transgenic corn, he initially charged.
However, yesterday, together with members of the Special Force to Fight Crime (Felcc) and the Vice Ministry of Internal Trade, they carried out several inspections of companies and storage centers. In most places it was confirmed that the storage of maize was legal and for productive purposes.
Silva, in a press conference, admitted that only four sheds were found that did not have a name and that it would be a mistake to name them as companies because they did not have papers in order. In that sense, he said that a formal complaint would be made against these establishments.
While in the rest of the places that they went to verify, they saw that the collection “is normal and legal.” “For example, at the Sofía company they tell us that they have 12,000 tons of corn. This allows them to guarantee their production for the next three months,” he said.
In addition, he maintained that the objective of these operations is not to intimidate the producers, but he did say that they will sue the establishments that do not have their papers in order.
“In the rest of the verifications that we have carried out, it can be pointed out that the collection of corn carried out by these companies for productive purposes within the prevention margins that they have is normal and legal,” he said.
In this line, the authority assured that during its inspection it was evidenced that there is enough grain to be able to supply the internal market.
From the agricultural sector they remain firm in the idea of holding work tables to discuss the issue of grain shortages, which has been proven to be real and it is urgent to draw a line of work with the State.
