Argentina's Farmers
Protest Against Rising
Export Taxes On Soybean
Thousands of Argentine
farmers held a protest
against an increase in
soybean export taxes
Sunday in Rosario,
northwest of the capital
Buenos Aires, local
media reported.
Argentine farmers took
to the streets, warning
that if the government
does not soften the
export restrictions,
they could blockade the
highways and roads like
they did last spring in
a move against food
shortages across the
country.
The government and
farmers also blamed each
other for a failure of
the two-hour negotiation
on May 22.
"We must be prepared to
return to the blockades
and protests, to take
the necessary decisions
if there's no change
soon to the
restrictions," president
of the Argentine
Agrarian Federation
Eduardo Bazzi was quoted
as saying by the press.
Argentine President
Cristina Fernandez urged
the farmers to
understand that "before
any sector, before our
individuals, the
interests of the country
come first."
Most of Argentine grain
production is for
exports, and the farm
sector is one of the
major exporters of
grains and soybeans.
The farmers have been on
strike since May 8 after
Fernandez raised export
taxes on soybean
products from 33 percent
to 44.1 percent in
March.
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