The agro-industrial sector in Argentina announced this Wednesday (30) that it will hold a day of protests on July 13 over the shortage of diesel, but also with complaints to the government on account of economic measures that it considers harmful to productive activity.
The decision was taken by a commission that brings together the four largest agricultural employers in Argentina. In a statement released after the meeting, the participants stated that “access to diesel is urgent” to “avoid a total paralysis of the productive apparatus”.
According to the latest data released by the Argentine Federation of Cargo Transport Business Entities, 23 of the 24 districts in which the country is divided have problems with the supply of diesel, fuel widely used in agricultural machinery, trucks and passenger buses.
The diesel shortage started in mid-April, when rural producers reported that they did not have enough fuel to harvest their crops and then transport them to storage sites and export ports. Then the situation worsened and spread throughout the country, severely affecting road transport of all types of cargo.
Protest
In a press conference, rural employers specified that on July 13 there will be a concentration of agricultural producers on the side of highways in various parts of the country.
In addition, they asked for the interruption of commercialization for that day, which implies that neither grain nor cattle will be sent to the markets.
Although the call was motivated by the lack of diesel, the agro-industrial sector also signaled its rejection of recent measures adopted by the Central Bank that limit access to foreign currency to pay for imports.
Demands also include “recovering macroeconomic stability and stopping political confrontation”, “that there be fewer harmful interventions, that public spending be reduced and that the energy crisis be put to an end”.
The employers also recalled that the agro-industrial sector generates almost 4 million jobs in Argentina, 70% of exports and 8 out of every 10 dollars of net foreign exchange entering the country.
diesel import
The months of grain harvesting and shipping to ports are traditionally the ones with the highest demand for diesel in Argentina, which is usually reflected in high imports of the fuel in this period.
However, this time, the country faces a scenario of lack of foreign exchange and exceptionally high international energy prices.
Against this backdrop, and amid growing demand, the government promised to increase diesel imports to normalize supplies.
On Wednesday, Argentina’s Energy Secretary Darío Martínez said that diesel imports during the first five months of the year reached 1.25 million cubic meters, “doubling imports from the January-May 2021 period.” .
“Refiners reported that the pace of imports continues to grow in the June-August quarter, following demand,” he added.
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