In the midst of the demands for urgent measures due to the drought that is jeopardizing the countryside and anticipating losses of 15,000 million dollars, the Minister of Economy,
Sergio Massa
, met this Friday with the Liaison Table and promised the ruralistas
a package of measures for February 1.
The head of the economic portfolio arrived at Castelar after 11, accompanied by the Secretary of Agriculture, Juan José Bahillo, and officials from Banco Nación, AFIP and INTA.
The meeting lasted just under an hour and there they agreed that in the coming days
the technical teams of the different areas
of the Government will meet to define the measures.
It was the president of the Rural Society, Nicolás Pino, who advanced without giving many details that the Government promised to implement
a "package of measures."
The economy minister, Sergio Massa, in Castelar to meet with the leaders of the Liaison Table.
Photo Juano Tesone
The Secretary of Industry, José Ignacio de Mendiguren, confirmed upon leaving the meeting that they are going to
define a "schedule" to deal with all problems in depth
during the coming week.
The official also said that the ruralistas
were "very satisfied with the meeting"
and agreed that "the problem is not the same throughout the country."
De Mendiguren and Carlos Castagneto after Massa's meeting with the Liaison Table.
Photo Juano Tesone
For his part, Carlos Castagneto, head of the AFIP, specified that "
the measures
that must be taken must be seen by activity, by item and by region," and specified: "There are tax issues that are at the provincial and municipal level."
The representatives of the producers had arrived at the meeting at the INTA headquarters after marking the field for the head of the economic portfolio to "avoid announcements for the photo."
The Liaison Table received the invitation on Thursday morning, its leaders met from noon and for several hours, and at five in the afternoon, the 4 presidents of the rural entities gave a press conference on the sidewalk to point out that they did not want to lend themselves to a staging.
The leaders of the Liaison Table upon arriving at the meeting with Massa.
Photo Juano Tesone
In addition, in a statement, the leaders demanded that the Agricultural Emergency and Disaster be declared so that measures such as the suspension of income tax advances, extensions or exemption from province taxes, among others, can be implemented.
The one they held this Friday in Castelar was the second meeting in which the rural leaders raised "the need for the
tax extension, for a shift in maturities
," as Pino pointed out.
The head of the SRA continued: "We consider that the producer is not going to have the resources to face the payments; financial assistance, which unfortunately we are going to need; and relief and recognition in the tax burden and in everything that is credits ".
At the end of the meeting, which lasted less than an hour, Massa highlighted the importance of the countryside as the "motor" of the country's development.
"We understand the impact (of the drought) on livestock, on regional economies and some traditional crops. We understand, and that is why the whole team is here, in the
field as one of the great pillars
," said Massa.
In addition, he emphasized: "We all have the enormous responsibility to
work without political or ideological prejudices
, with the conviction of knowing that we have to solve problems and seek solutions."
The Minister of Economy led the meeting with the Liaison Table.
Photo Juano Tesone
Massa acknowledged that, despite the seriousness of the situation, "
there are solutions that may escape
because the situation in Argentina is not that of a country with enormous capacities for State intervention," referring to the indebtedness and the difficulties in seeking financing.
The Minister of Economy acknowledged that "many of the issues" that the Liaison Table claimed on Thursday through a statement
"are a quick and easy solution" for the Government
and will be carried out in technical meetings in the coming days.
A few days ago, the Buenos Aires Grain Exchange outlined different possible scenarios in the event of the drought continuing or the rains reactivating, and anticipated that with a serious drought like the current one, the losses will be almost 15,000 million dollars.
In the worst case with severe drought, soybeans would fall from the 48 million tons forecast when planting began in October, to 35.5 million.
In the case of corn, from 50 million to 37.8 million and in sunflower from 3.9 million to 3.5 million.
The severe drought has had an impact on a drop of almost 2% in agricultural GDP and a 0.6% drop in tax collection due to a drop in export volumes and lower collection of withholdings.
After the meeting in the countryside, Elbio Laucirica, president of Coninagro, also spoke, and warned that although the Government advanced with "partial measures", he considered it necessary to "work on comprehensive measures that are comprehensive towards the entire economy and the entire productive sector".
He also announced that as the Liaison Table they
will take to Congress "some of the projects"
that the producers expect "legislators to follow quickly" because tax issues must have the approval of Deputies and the Senate.
look too
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