The government communicated this Monday to the members of the Coordinator for the Defense of the Poultry Chain what will one do constant observation of what is happening in the market, in order to make timely decisions on import permits for cut chicken from Brazil. That informed The Observer José Luis Strazzarino, fasonero producer and member of the coordinator.
He stressed that after two meetings it was clear that the situation will be constantly monitored, so that decisions to grant new permits do not cause harm to anyone in the national poultry chain, nor to consumers.
The coordinator’s objective is not to prevent cut chicken from entering, but rather to ensure that the income is reasonable and not in high volumes when it is not necessary, to avoid distortions in the local market that harm national production.
It is understood that this, a massive and unnecessary income, is what has happened since September and this was pointed out today to Minister Fernando Mattos and his team, and to the President of the Republic, Luis Lacalle Pou, in two working meetings.
“If at some point something happens, production decreases and to maintain prices you have to import, of course we are not opposedbut it also became clear that you have to control the import when production is normal hereso that no one is harmed ”, he considered.
“What we ask is not that the sector be overprotected, but rather that its reality be addressed,” he said.
The coordinator met for more than two hours, in the morning, with authorities and professionals from the Ministry of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries (MGAP) and the National Meat Institute (INAC) at the ministerial headquarters.
In the afternoon, also for almost three hours, the entity was received by the President of the Republic, Luis Lacalle Pou, in the Executive Tower (in the photo, below, the members of the coordinator appear after the meeting).
The president, said Strazzarino, was informed in detail by masons, distributors and industrialists about the reality of each sector of the poultry chain. Lacalle Pou listened carefully, did not say yes or no to anything in particular and agreed to consider each consideration that was put to him, to respond during the next weeknoted the producer.
The members of the coordinator delivered to the president and also in the morning to the MGAP a sequence of points that they understand must be addressed, in a document they called a “road map”.
Denis Villalba (Valle Alegre industry), José Luis Strazzarino (masonry), Daniel Pereya (masonry), Joaquín De Grazia (Tres Arroyos industry), Juan Prando (masonry), José Prando (masonry) and Fredy Balbi (El Poyote industry). Julio Balbi (distributor) also attended, who was the one who took the photo.
the roadmap
Among various points, it is requested not to grant new import permits in January and to limit those that are issued in the next two months, to work on the price issue so that it does not have sudden changes, to avoid the importation of chicken in bulk, to demand that it arrives in a container that ensures safety and prioritizing work on access to the Chinese market.
Strazzarino commented that there is a significant overstock in the market, from 800 to 1,000 tons of imported cut chicken, basically supreme, which added to local production allows a supply to the market for several weeks, without the need to increase imports.
