Misiones filed a precautionary measure before the Federal Justice to stop the changes that President Javier Milei imposed with the mega-decree of necessity and urgency on the National Institute of Yerba Mate (INYM), removing the power to set the reference prices of raw materials. The announcement was made by governor Hugo Passalacqua through his social media.
“Following my instructions, the Public Prosecutor’s Office presented to the Federal Court of Posadas a precautionary measure in defense of the historical functions of the INYM, which were limited by the DNU announced days ago,” Passalacqua said in his X account.
For the missionary governor, Milei’s decision to completely free the herb market “leaves small and medium-sized producers defenseless, who would be seriously harmed without an organization of that nature.
Likewise, the presentation refers to “packaging at source”, which has been a great achievement in recent years for “the beloved weed family”. And he made it clear that he has a diametrically opposite view, underlining in his post that “the defense of its producers is a pillar of Misiones’ government and “We will do everything in our power to act accordingly.”.
In his desire to push forward the deregulation of the economy, President Milei ordered on December 21st that the INYM is dedicated only to promotion and development of the yerbater activity, one of Misiones’ production pillars.
Until now The Institute is held twice a year -in March and September- Reference prices for green leaf and yerba mate canada (dry herb, without grinding) e below these values it is not possible to carry out any operation.
To set these prices, a grid was created with the production costs and a profitability margin for the manufacturer, but The mills’ representatives have always boycotted any agreement claiming that the Department of Commerce did not allow them to pass these amounts onto the value of the package on the shelf. So everything led to an award from the Ministry of Agriculture.
Already the over 12,500 yerbatero producers of Misiones and Corrientes suffered from deregulation of activity in the 1990s, which led to a historic price declineto the point that many abandoned the business because it was no longer profitable for them.
The herbalists organized themselves and advanced with their old tractors and trucks towards Posadas, where they settled for more than a month, until the creation of the INYM, an organization that was fundamental to the resumption of the activity.
As soon as the president’s decision was known, the provincial deputy and leader of the Misiones Renewal Front, Carlos Rovira, announced that “according to the law on yerba mate I will promote the creation of the Yerba Mate Missionary Institute (IMYM) to defend the economy and profitability of our small and medium-sized herbal producers.”
This, he argued, will defend “quality, profitably sustained growth and a fair price for all, protecting weaker sectors from the demands of oligopolies”. And she stressed that “the mother product of the Tierra Colorada is not in question, and we missionaries are sovereign in taking care of it.”
Last year, 829,237,261 kilos of green leaves were collected in Misiones and Corrientes. The country requested 275,809,497 kilos, while another 40,304,006 kilos were exported to more than 50 countries.
There are some around in the area 12,500 producers of green leaves which unload the raw materials in 49 cooperatives and 200 dryers. The process is completed with approx 100 mills. The harvest alone involves the work of around 15,000 tareferos.
Source: Clarin
