Economy Minister, Sergio Massa, Agricultural Secretary, Juan José Bahillo, and other senior officials, met the Mesa de Enlace farming leaders to inform them of a raft of relief measures against drought. Assuring the farmers of the “central” economic importance of their sector as a major exporter and of the “enormous” sacrifice being made by the government, Massa announced the following measures: a rotating and renewable fund of five billion pesos to provide direct assistance via provincial and municipal governments; the suspension of advanced income taxation for all afflicted farmers below an earning level of 50 million pesos; the suspension of foreclosures and injunctions on current accounts for farmers in emergency situations; tax relief for the forced sale of cattle at low prices; an extra 15 points of interest rate subsidies and a credit line for 50 billion pesos, offered by Banco Nación to small farmers. The farming leaders pronnounced themselves satisfied with the relief measures as an useful beginning, while decribing them as “cyclical”, but not meeting long-term needs. Federación Agraria Argentina leader, Carlos Achetoni, deplored the failure to single out regional economies for special responses. Rural Society President, Nicolás Pino, described the current drought as worse than either 2009 or 2018.
SOURCE: www.batimes.com.ar