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Argentine farmers resume protests: "time is running out"
MercoPress
August 19, 2008

Argentine farmers warned "time is running out" and if there are no announcements regarding their claims by the end of the month a new country wide stoppage or another non sale of grains and oilseeds sales is back on the protest agenda.

"The truth is time is running out. We're going ahead with actions before Congress and if there are no solutions to our demands, by the end of the month we're back on to the global protest: be it either a full camp stoppage or the non sale of grains and oilseeds", said Eduardo Buzzi one of the most charismatic leaders to emerge from the four month conflict with the government of Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner.

On Monday Argentine farmers took back to the roads with demonstrations by the side of highways across the country as well as gatherings.

"This is just a warning, we don't want another stoppage, but enough is enough, it's time authorities begun solving the problems we've been complaining about", said Buzzi who led a long line of protesting tractors in Santa Fe, one of Argentina's main rural production provinces.

Since the crucial vote last July 17 in the Argentine Senate rejecting the controversial Resolution 125 which hiked farm export taxes, farmers have been expecting advances in their demands, but they claim that so far all has been rhetoric.

However in Mendoza province, Argentine Vice-President Julio Cobos who sided with farmers during an earlier stage of the conflict, with his negative vote defining the government defeat in the Senate, was quoted saying he was sorry that farmers will go back to the roads.

Buzzi pointed out that the situation has become a direct hit to the heart of agriculture: "with 440 US dollars the ton (of soy), soaring costs that nobody controls and farm export taxes of 35%, there's no way to make ends meet".

Regarding the new Agriculture Secretary, Carlos Cheppi, Buzzi praised his technical knowledge, but the fact of the matter is that "the Kirchners have been in power for the last five years".

Farmers are urgently demanding an end to the ban on beef, dairy and wheat exports, and are waiting for the government announced and promised segmentation of export taxes according to size of the farms.

Protest demonstrations extended to the main agriculture provinces and had strong support from local populations in spite of the almost five month conflict.

"We must continue united, we must organize, united they will never have us on our knees", said Alfredo De Angeli another outstanding leader of the farmers movement. "It's up to the government when all this is over", he underlined.

Farm leaders also cautioned that they are not proposing or sponsoring road pickets but admitted that on occasions it's hard to contain the "furious rednecks".