They renewed the agreement with the Ministry of Livestock
The Community Chiefs from all over the country, gathered in the plenary session of the National Congress of Mayors in La Expo Activa de Soriano, expressed their deep concern about the devastating effects of the drought.
According to estimates by the Ministry of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries itself, losses would already exceed 2 Billion Dollars, therefore this climatic situation will not only affect producers but also the population in general and the Departmental and National Governments.
“As is traditional, the Congress meets within the framework of La Expo Activa in Soriano. One of the most important issues discussed was the one that worries the entire country, which is the issue of drought. The current reality that is complex and that is harming many producers was analyzed, but also what is to come” said Jose Yurramendi at a press conference held on Wednesday.
“Beyond the fact that the water reaches it, the damage has been done and it will have to be dealt with based on what is to come, winter, finding solutions for feeding the animals and the water problem itself” remarked.
In this session of the Congress of Mayors, the Minister of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries, Ing. Fernando Mattos, and the Minister of National Defense, Dr. Javier García, were present. “The idea is to continue working together with the National Government. The agreement that had been signed in the 2022 agricultural emergency was immediately renewed. The remaining balances will be reinforced with new items for 2023.” confirmed. “This will be in force in a few days, working together with the Municipality with the Departmental Office of the Ministry of Livestock, mainly supporting small producers” held.
special relief fund
It has not yet been defined how it will be implemented, but the general idea is to work on an extraordinary fund that will alleviate the complex situation that the country is experiencing as a result of the drought. “Guillermo Besozzi himself, host Mayor, was the one who raised the possibility of generating something similar to what was once the Coronavirus Fund based on this agricultural emergency that is harming many producers but will end up harming the chain as well. productive and to the economic chain of the country, therefore to those of us who live in towns and larger or smaller cities. The entire country is going to suffer significant damage.” Yurramendi expressed with concern.
“We will have to find a way to alleviate this situation a bit” accurate.
long term solutions
Experts agree that climate change is installed and that drought events will be more and more common, therefore it will be necessary to start thinking about solutions in the medium and long term. “The President of the Republic himself mentioned this issue to us and he did it again in the framework of the inauguration of La Expo Activa. He told us that in the same way that the country at the time established State policies such as forestry, for example, today Uruguay must face a water, irrigation and water storage policy that allows these droughts that are apparently going to be more followed they find us with a country more prepared to face them ” revealed the Communal Chief of Cerro Largo.
“It is an issue that should not only be limited to this government but transcend it” opined. “Undoubtedly it is a matter of State policies that must go further and occupy whoever comes and all the Departmental Governments, as well as Parliament.”
He informed that some studies are already being carried out in this regard by the Ministry of Livestock, OSE and UTE because it is essential to have electricity everywhere for the installation of pumping systems.
Losses will affect the entire population
Despite the fact that the problem is now installed at the level of the productive sector and in specific cases to the drinking water supply of some cities or towns, it is expected that in the future it will affect the entire population.
It is estimated that today the losses amount to 2 Billion Dollars, an aspect that will undoubtedly impact the collection of the National Government and the Departmental Governments. “It is a situation that affects us all” synthesized the Mayor. “It affects the producer directly, therefore immediately the people who work with them will be affected, to whom they sell inputs, and then of course the state coffers, both national and departmental, because as production moves less, revenue moves less. ” stressed. “That’s where the chain starts. A smaller economic movement affects a store in a neighborhood. It is so. When we announce that something will have an important favorable economic repercussion everywhere, in this case the impact of a climate issue external to any decision, will undoubtedly affect the country economically” manifested.
José Yurramendi said that the government authorities must “initiate certain actions” so that this economic affectation is as little as possible or that otherwise a quick solution to this problem can be found.
