DistantNews
Support us
Paraguayan farmer likens president to 'Alice in Wonderland' amid economic woes
🇵🇾 Paraguay /Economy & Trade

Paraguayan farmer likens president to 'Alice in Wonderland' amid economic woes

From ABC Color · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • A Paraguayan horticultural producer criticized President Santiago Peña's management report, stating the president seems out of touch with the economic struggles of the agricultural sector.
  • The producer highlighted a severe lack of government support and circulating money, leading to unsold produce, a stark contrast to previous years.
  • He also pointed to unfair commercialization practices, citing a large price difference between what farmers receive and what consumers pay for products like tomatoes, and called for stricter controls on foreign imports.

Hugo Del Puerto, a horticultural producer from Misiones, Paraguay, has sharply criticized President Santiago Peña's recent management report. Del Puerto stated that the president appears to be living in "Alice in Wonderland," disconnected from the harsh economic realities faced by the agricultural sector.

The president thinks we are in the famous movie Alice in Wonderland.

— Hugo Del PuertoComparing President Santiago Peña's management report to the fictional world of Alice in Wonderland.

Del Puerto expressed that producers are feeling the "strong lack of support" from the national government and a scarcity of circulating money, which directly impacts sales. He noted that in previous years, production was insufficient to meet demand at this time of year, but now, a significant portion of their produce goes unsold.

The low volume of sales is not due to the climate, but to the lack of circulating money. There is no money.

— Hugo Del PuertoExplaining the reasons behind the poor sales in the agricultural sector.

"The low volume of sales is not due to the climate, but to the lack of circulating money. There is no money," Del Puerto asserted. He recalled a past government program encouraging pepper cultivation, in which his family participated, only to be financially harmed by a price collapse post-harvest due to a lack of government support.

With this, I believe our commercialization policy is not working as it should.

— Hugo Del PuertoCommenting on the significant price disparity between producers and consumers for products like tomatoes.

Furthermore, Del Puerto questioned the commercialization of agricultural products, citing the example of tomatoes. While consumers pay between 12,000 and 14,000 Paraguayan guaranis per kilogram, producers receive only 2,000 guaranis. "With this, I believe our commercialization policy is not working as it should," he stated. He concluded by emphasizing that producers have the will and tools to work but lack market access. He also demanded greater government presence and stricter controls on foreign product imports, noting that many items in markets are foreign and may enter the country illegally.

We have the desire and the tools to work, but there is no market access. What is missing is more support from the national government and stricter control over product entry, because one sees the items offered in the markets and many are foreign and tend to enter smuggled.

— Hugo Del PuertoSummarizing the challenges faced by producers and calling for government action.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by ABC Color in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

More Stories

From Our Blog