Argentine rural producers make tractors in protest against the government

A group of rural producers marched this Saturday (23) through downtown Buenos Aires, some of them on tractors, to protest against the policies of the Argentine government that they consider harmful to the agricultural sector. The caravan, made up of 30 tractors and hundreds of cars, motorcycles and other vehicles, advanced along the avenues in the north of the capital until reaching the iconic Plaza de Mayo, in front of the Casa Rosada, headquarters of the Argentine Executive.

More than a thousand people gathered at the site to end the protest, which spread to other cities in the country, such as Córdoba, Tucumán and Rosario. The demonstration did not have the institutional backing of the so-called Mesa de Enlace, formed by the four largest rural employers’ associations in Argentina, although it had the support of some regional agricultural organizations and sectors of the political opposition.

The reasons for the protest are diverse: in addition to rejecting any additional tax pressure on the rural sector, the organizers called for better public administration of resources, less political spending and greater investment in productive infrastructure, among other points. Likewise, a large number of citizens took the opportunity to take to the streets and express their rejection of the national government, with slogans against political corruption and in favor of tax cuts.

Government says demonstration is political

In recent days, the Argentine government has questioned the protest, arguing that its claims “are not very clear”. “We have no doubt that this is an absolutely political march and that it has to do with interests other than defending the legitimate rights of farmers in the countryside,” said presidential spokeswoman Gabriela Cerruti at a press conference on Friday. .

The mayor of Buenos Aires, the opposition leader Horacio Rodríguez Larreta, called on the national government to “respect” the protests, instead of “promoting confrontations” between workers. “Given the expectation of the announcement that they want to increase taxes, how are they not going to express themselves, how are we not going to support them? This is the engine and the future of Argentina”, said Rodríguez to the broadcaster “TN”.

The protest comes at a time of a sharp rise in international prices of raw materials since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which favors agro-exporters from Argentina, one of the world’s largest producers and exporters of grains and derivatives, but which has directly impacted an acceleration domestic inflation, particularly on food.