They aren't granting phytosanitary authorization permits and, as a result, some 5,000 tons of tomato rotted in Formosa, stated Argentina's Agrarian Federation
The director of the Agrarian Federation in Formosa, Panfilo Ayala, said "we lost eighty percent of the tomato production due to Paraguay's blockade (...) we want the State to intervene in this."
According to the agrarian leader, there are about 240 small producers in Formosa that produce a little more than 5,000 tons of tomatoes in about 120 hectares.
"They are having a bad time and we are asking the government to enforce the free trade agreements between both countries that are a part of Mercosur," Ayala added.
The agricultural leader said that a kilogram of tomatoes costs ten pesos and a box of 22 kilograms 200 pesos, but that producers had to sell them at a much lower price to avoid having bigger loses.
Ayala said Paraguay wasn't granting phytosanitary permits, which complicates things for the tomato and the onion sector. "That's why we ask for State intervention, the same thing is happening with the banana. Our country allows the entry of bananas from Paraguay, Brazil, and Ecuador, but we can't market our fruit because prices are very unfair."
Source: Agencia Telam
