After years of poor harvests and a lack of government policies, the province of Formosa's banana sector started 2024 with 1,000 hectares of banana plants but ended it with only 500.

A severe drought and subsequent frost destroyed the plants in August. After this, producers asked Karina Milei, secretary general of the Presidency and sister of the president, to set up a meeting with the Secretary of Agriculture, Sergio Iraeta, in Buenos Aires. They met with Iraeta but more than 100 days later they haven't received any aid from the government.

According to Pánfilo Ayala, president of the Federación Agraria Argentina (FAA), Laguna Naineck branch, the cost of the inputs needed to produce a hectare is too high and producers in the area cannot currently afford to save and sustain the activity. "We haven't had any production since August. The drought of the first four months hit us hard. Things improved in May and June, but in August three frosts destroyed the production completely," he said. "We won't have fruit until April, weather permitting. We're going to have zero profitability until then. In 2024, we did not even produce 10% of the minimum we had. In addition, prices are not good. That is the crux of the issue. That's why some people decided to drive their tractors straight over their crops," he said.

At the meeting, Iraeta reportedly told producers that the decision on government aid depended on the Ministry of Economy, headed by Luis Caputo, not his portfolio. "The Secretary of Agriculture told us that he considered that aid was necessary because of the situation we face, but that he could not do anything from his Ministry. Unfortunately, they are not interested or do not care," Pánfilo Ayala stated.

"If the government gives us the opportunity, we are prepared to produce more than 20,000 hectares of bananas in the province of Formosa. We have the production capacity to supply the 500,000 tons that Argentineans consume," he stressed.

Source - https://www.freshplaza.com