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Peruvian rice farmers threaten national strike July 23 over 'crisis'
🇵🇪 Peru /Economy & Trade

Peruvian rice farmers threaten national strike July 23 over 'crisis'

From La República · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Rice producers are threatening a national strike on July 23 if the government does not address the sector's crisis.
  • Farmers cite increased rice imports as a primary issue, claiming they saturate the market and harm domestic sales.
  • Producers demand immediate action and a meeting with the Ministry of Agrarian Development and Irrigation to resolve profitability issues and mounting debts.

Rice producers in Peru are warning of a national strike set for July 23, escalating their demands for government intervention amidst a deepening agricultural crisis. Guillermo Pérez, a leader representing rice farmers in the Tumbes valley, stated that the strike date will be finalized if the executive branch fails to present concrete measures to combat declining profitability.

The big importers have filled our markets. Even the mills are stocked. They bring rice of foreign origin and mix it with our good quality Peruvian rice and sell it as if it were national product. That is disloyalty from the state towards us.

— Guillermo PérezGuillermo Pérez, a leader of rice producers from the Tumbes valley, explains the impact of imports on the domestic market.

The core of the farmers' grievance lies in the surge of rice imports, which they allege have flooded the domestic market. "The big importers have filled our markets. Even the mills are stocked," Pérez declared, accusing foreign suppliers of mixing imported rice with Peruvian product to sell it as domestic. He described this practice as "disloyalty from the state towards us."

In a bid to pressure the government, producers staged a protest outside the Ministry of Agrarian Development and Irrigation (Midagri) on July 9, demanding a meeting with the minister. Pérez emphasized the minister's responsibility in addressing their concerns and called for an immediate response. He also cautioned that regional farmer groups are prepared to coordinate further actions, including a full-scale paralysis, if their demands remain unmet.

If there is no response, we will go to a total paralysis because we have no other means of complaint to be heard.

— Guillermo PérezGuillermo Pérez warns of a nationwide strike if the government fails to address the farmers' demands.

The financial strain on farmers is severe, with many facing significant debts to both public and private banks due to recent losses. "We don't even know what to do. Most people are indebted to both private and state banks," Pérez stated. The producers are reiterating their July 23 deadline, underscoring the urgency of the situation for thousands of farmers across the country.

We don't even know what to do. Most people are indebted to both private and state banks.

— Guillermo PérezGuillermo Pérez highlights the severe financial difficulties faced by many rice producers.
DistantNews Editorial

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

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