What do the representatives of agriculture expect from the new Minister of Economy

The reactions of the agricultural leaders were immediate after the appointment of the new Minister of Economy Silvina Batakis. A common factor among the views of the sector’s referents was the request for a substantive policy rather than a change of name.

“Beyond the names, we are interested in knowing what are the plans and the program to solve the problems of the producers and the Argentine economy. We hope that tomorrow the new minister will tell us what she will do”, said the president of the Argentine Rural Society Nicolás Pino.

Along the same lines, the head of Coninagro, Carlos IannizzottoHe addressed the issue on Twitter. “Beyond the names and internal ones, we need an agreement that gives Argentina a direction, and looks at the citizens who want to work and carry this country forward. Look at the regional economies and listen to the people. It is a crucial moment for our country ”.

For its part, the leader of the Argentine Rural Confederations (CRA), Jorge Chemes, he underlined: “The problem is not the name of the minister, but what or what his economic policies will be in a country that loses a little more of its future every day, while those who decide are distracted by internal struggles. It’s time for a serious plan and to take the lead. “

One of the problems keeping the countryside awake in terms of agricultural policies is retention, a tool that appears to be structurally installed beyond the flag of the government in power. Batakis was Minister of Economy of the province of Buenos Aires during the government of Daniel Scioli, and currently has worked as Secretary of the Provinces in the Ministry of the Interior headed by Eduardo “Wado” de Pedro. He was in charge of political talks with the Buenos Aires government for joint funds.

Two years ago, in an interview on Page 12, Batakis said the following regarding export duties: “Withholding taxes give the national government the ability to have dollar resources. Withholding is always spoken of as another tax, and the truth is that although there may be collection targets, a withholding tax has many more functions. “

The definition is from March 2020, when the government increased by two points the withholdings on flour and soybean oil to bring them to 33%, the same as for beans. “Surely the implementation of this withholding has more to do with resource redistribution goalsas a stimulus for a correct use of the land, which ends up being impoverished by the monoculture of soybeans, and also because the nation state does not have to go out and buy dollars, which are in short supply, because when in the end it has to go out and make payments on its debt it does not have to shell out pesos “.

In this regard, the president of the Argentine Agricultural Federation (FAA), Carlos Achetoni, assured: “That background, on Silvina Batakis’ gaze on withholdings it is not the most favorable for the sector, because of course we will totally disagree. For the rest, I don’t think it is just a name, but the intention of the government in general, whether it is the fiscal situation, energy, the dollar or the availability of being able to import to produce. It goes beyond a name, it’s a plan and we’ll see how it’s set up these days.

For his part, the president of the Chamber of the Petroleum Industry of the Argentine Republic and of the Cereal Exporters Center (CIARA-CEC), Gustavo Idígoras, also expressed his opinion on the new minister, consulted by TN.

“The truth is that I don’t know her, I saw her in a couple of meetings held at the Ministry of the Interior of the Nation (Batakis was provincial secretary there) on the subject of investments and infrastructures in the interior. From the Argentine Agro-Industrial Council (CAA) we have brought several proposals, but they have never been successful. So I can’t rate it in that sense. As for your expressions, it marks a trend towards greater interventionism, which is always harmful. But let’s wait, because it is one thing to give an opinion in a role without a decision, and another thing is to be Minister of the Economy “

And Ivan Castellaro, self-appointed producer of the Independencia group, declared: “As the latest events and the appointment have shown, who governs today and has the pen is Cristina Kirchner and nothing else is foreseen than to continue to plunder the productive sector, the only place where they can draw resources to continue with the excessive spending party “. And he added:” From the independence group we reject the road taken by the government that is leading us to the destruction of the productive sector and therefore to an increase in poverty in exponential way. As long as the political class continues with the party, it will only continue to multiply the poor and destroy the country with a social and economic deterioration never seen before “.