Colombia: Paparochos also want the government to control the prices of their crops.
The rice strike ended with a resolution establishing a minimum purchase price; the rice farmers who are already protesting are demanding the same.
Potato farmers ’ organizations are asking the national government to sign a floor price resolution for potatoes amid falling prices for producers .
The request comes just days after the Ministry of Agriculture signed a resolution establishing a minimum price for green paddy rice , as part of the rice strike commitments.
The paperos have also been staging protests on the roads in recent hours, mainly in the department of Boyacá.
“We ask the national government to ensure that the officials responsible for addressing the sector’s requests have the power to make decisions. Listening is not enough. Neither is dialogue alone. Swift, concrete, and effective actions are required to resolve the current losses due to low prices, while progress is made on structural solutions such as the renegotiation of free trade agreements, effective control of smuggling, and combating associated crimes. The meetings held in Villapinzón, Soraca, and Bogotá have only allowed room for dialogue without resolving any of the problems affecting the sector ,” several organizations stated in a statement.
The paper farmers are also calling for a marketing support scheme in which the government would cover the difference between production costs and sales costs.
According to the organizations that signed the communication, the production cost of potatoes is between 80,000 and 100,000 pesos, but the selling price has fallen below 30,000.
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