Argentina-Cattle crisis as herd drops by 3 million head.

ARGENTINA-CATTLE CRISIS AS HERD DROPS BY 3 MILLION HEAD.

Rural Society (SRA) Hugo Biolcati yesterday cautioned that a cattle farming crisis brought about by the ongoing draught hitting cattle raising regions of Argentina is "the most burning issue" that farmers and the Government should discuss when they meet again this afternoon. Conversely, he added, a reduction in soybean export duties should not be tabled as it would amount to "a waste of time."

Biolcati warned the farming sector is presently putting up with some "very heavy problems which require urgent answers." Cattle raising, he explained, "can’t take further delays or otherwise the government will have to openly admit it has no solutions for the sector."

Biolcati also conceded that in some cases farmers were holding back grain stocks and only selling "as little as possible to just survive."

In a televised interview broadcast by TodoNoticias, Biolcati said "the ruinous conditions in which the farming activity is unfolding" was forcing farmers to "sell as little grain as possible."

The farming leader also believed that putting up roadblocks as protest measures was not out "but this isn’t the time to resort to these as they could threaten social peace". The latter, he considered, "is now seriously strained." However, farmers were far from giving up on their demands, he underlined.

Still, Biolcati considered that discussions between farmers and the government amounted to a waste of time: "the government has said firm and clear that it won’t backtrack on grain export duties, so if we want to discuss them in a democratic way, we must pursue it in Congress."

Biolcati insisted on blaming the government for the dire situation the grain producers are going through: "Very few people are going to sow wheat because of their plight, which was brought about by the present farming policy. Therefore they are holding back on grain stocks which are their only working capital."

Regarding his meeting with Production Secretary Débora Giorgi today, Biolcati provided scant room for hope: "Our meetings have been cordial so far but they have dodged the key issues throughout." Experience from previous meetings with the government, he explained, "points at not one resulting guideline at all being followed."