The Chamber of Deputies postponed the treatment of the bill that “Declares an emergency throughout the territory of the Republic of Paraguay”. The argument of Miguel Tadeo Rojas, Colorado Chartist deputy, was that the indefinite postponement is to collect reports from the MAG to know the most affected areas. As well as the level of needs and the necessary resources.
“We are just preparing the cash plan by the Treasury for the 2022 budget. At the same time, we will require a report from the National Emergency Secretariat (SEN) to know the availability and work plans in the face of the emergency problems that are happening,” he claimed.
SENATORS
The project senators of the document were José “Pakova” Ledesma and Hugo Richer, legislators from the PLRA and the Guasu Front (FG) respectively. The first affirmed that its approval is very necessary, since it will represent a tool that will benefit small producers.
“We have serious effects produced by the drought that must be addressed by the Executive. Everything is being lost. It was an urgency to study it”, he commented.
He stated that the law could help the Government facilitate the acquisition of seeds for producers, among other actions.
Hugo Richer, national senator for the FG, said for his part that the country is facing a catastrophe that affects food production and therefore the economy.
“The Government has already decreed support for large producers, but not for small producers. Fuel aid was promised, but small producers do not have machinery”, he said.
AGAINST
Héctor Cristaldo, president of the Union of Production Guilds (UGP), affirmed that the bill represents a rapprochement of the senators, but it is not the help they need.
“The law is not a solution, it is a gesture of rapprochement. What is needed is good management and transparency in handling things. Efficient management and transparency more than laws”, she affirmed.
The businessman referred to actions such as refinancing carried out by the Central Bank of Paraguay (BCP) without penalizing the bank or the client.
“We have to create the conditions so that people can go back to work when the weather conditions it. It is necessary to support the peasant producers. The law is not the solution,” he expressed.
Finally, when asked about the losses caused by the fires, he stated that only in the soybean category, around US$ 2,000 million had been lost during the last harvest.
“There is a 50% loss compared to last year,” he concluded.
BILL
The bill presented by Ledesma and Richer consists of three articles. The first declares a drought emergency throughout the national territory. The second requests the necessary resources from the institutions, and the third article cites the Executive entities to have favorable policies for the sector.
