Drought has dairy farmers very concerned, As is generally the case in the agricultural sector.. The decrease in the availability of water and food is of such importance that some, those who could, have closed some farms, moving the cows to fields that are less punished.
As they take action on the property, they inevitably incurring higher production costsfor example buying rations and concentrates, among other foods, they move with intensity in offices of Montevideo.
The unions of the sector, which are no less than a dozen, are acting jointly, not each one on their own.
Thus, was that met this Monday with authorities and technicians from the Ministry of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries (MGAP) and They plan to do the same this Tuesday with the Banco de la República and Conaprole.
Fabián Hernández, president of the Society of Dairy Producers of Florida (SPLF), highlighted The Observer that there were quick responses from each of those parties, both to set up the work meetings and to go contemplating different proposals.
Hernández, by way of example, said that he had to close a family farm that he manages in Cardal, where less than 100 mm fell since spring, mobilizing the dairy herd to another farm of his own in Florida where reality is also adverse, but not as serious. , At least for the moment.
“The situation, although it is uneven, It affects all the fields, they are completely yellow, we are running out of foodFor example, the sorghums that are very resistant are drying up in some places… the situation is very worrying now, also for autumn and winter,” he explained.
About what the unions seek, celebrated the measure to extend the declaration of Agricultural Emergency for 90 days, which will allow new producers to denounce their reality and access support that, he added, will also be achieved more quickly after solving some bureaucratic obstacles in the official sector. Those who had applied for assistance will receive the money in these days and those who sign up from now on will also receive it in the short term, he praised.
A proposal exposed to the MGAP, whose authorities agreed to give it prompt action, considers cushion some tax costs related to the purchase and transportation of rations and concentratesespecially taking into account that from now on the demand for these products will increase.
The forage supply in the fields has fallen drastically and, furthermore, for several months it will continue to be totally insufficient.
The meeting of the directors of the unions in the MGAP lasted for an hour. There they were received by the minister Fernando Mattos, the undersecretary Ignacio Buffa, the directors Luis María Carresa and Carlos Rydström and by technicians from the Office of Agricultural Programming and Policy (Opypa).
“Honestly, we are very satisfied”Hernandez remarked.
He added that, looking at the medium and long term, “we talk a lot about not only considering the situation, we talk about the fact that these scenarios of such intense droughts are going to repeat themselves and that conditions must be created so that we can be increasingly better prepared, not only in the dairy sector, throughout agriculture, for example, we talked about the importance of having a better use of water resources”.
The situation is so serious, he mentioned, “that there are cases in which the lack of water is not only for productive uses, it is also lacking for people“.
With regard to other procedures carried out by the dairy unions, it was achieved that the re-liquidations that Prolesa carries out in February are brought forward to January.
