Argentine Farmers to
Block Export Highways
Again
Argentina's major
agricultural
associations announced
plans Sunday to resume
blockades on the
country's major highways
in protest against the
recent increase in
export taxes.
The two highways set to
be blockaded, Route 12
and Route 14, are known
as the Mercosur routes,
named after the
abbreviation for the
South American Market, a
trade bloc which groups
Argentina, Brazil,
Paraguay and Uruguay, as
the routes are used to
transport goods among
these countries.
The decision for the
blockade came after
talks between
agricultural
associations and the
government on adjusting
the taxes failed at
midnight Saturday.
The government has
announced a 35 to 44
percent increase in
export taxes on soybeans
and slapped new duties
on other farm exports,
effective from March 11.
Farmers have opposed the
tax jump, saying the
measure has boosted
costs and is pushing
them out of business.
The country's four big
agro-industrial groups
had earlier held an
18-day strike that
halted grain export and
emptied supermarket
shelves.
Also Sunday, local media
reported that Argentine
President Cristina
Fernandez de Kirchner
canceled her visit to
France and Britain to
resolve the issue at
home.
The government announced
earlier that it will
meet with farmers Monday
in an effort to resolve
the dispute.
The farmers' groups said
they will attend the
meeting but will not
consider lifting the
blockades until
Wednesday.
Argentina, a land of
vast, fertile plains, is
the world's No.3exporter
of soybean and the top
supplier of soy oil. It
also ranks second among
world corn exporters and
the fourth among wheat
and beef exporters.
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