The government and rice producers will finalize details to reach an agreement: when will it happen?

Rice producers completed a 10-day strike this Wednesday, awaiting progress in negotiations with the government. They are demanding better conditions to address foreign competition and establish a more competitive price for green paddy rice.

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The parties began negotiations two days ago to reach an agreement that would not only lift the blockades but also benefit the sector with solutions to combat the current crisis.

It's worth remembering that a few days ago, the Ministry of Agriculture reached a preliminary agreement with the National Federation of Rice Growers (Fedearroz).

According to the Ministry, seven initial commitments were established, focusing on stabilizing the rice chain. This seeks to address some of the challenges impacting the industry's operations , such as the volatility of rice prices.

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What are the dialogues about?

According to Carlos Alberto Rojas, manager of Usocoello and delegate of the National Strike Committee, although there is a preliminary agreement, the strike has not ended because there is still no guarantee of the price farmers need to cover production costs.

"If farmers don't have that guarantee, believe me, they won't be off the roads; there won't be any demobilization or unblocking of the highways. Fortunately, that kind of support is needed so they can get back on their feet and be sure that their crops will be purchased at a fair price comparable to their production costs," the delegate explained.

The rice leader also noted that one of these guarantees is the issuance by the National Government of the resolution for the price of green paddy rice. This is accompanied by the industry's compliance with it.

Within the framework of the negotiations, the rice farmers also asked the Ministry of Agriculture to issue a resolution regulating the price of white rice and to fulfill the commitments arising from the mobilization launched in March.

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Latest details

Rice growers' representatives reported that a technical meeting will be held this morning, July 24th, to draft the agreement between the National Government and the National Rice Strike Committee. The meeting will request details of the mechanism for compensating farmers and producers who were not included in the agreement.

Likewise, technical teams from both parties will meet to finalize details of the green paddy price regulation resolution. Once this review is complete, it will be disseminated for subsequent submission to the Superintendency of Industry and Commerce (SIC).

"Vice Minister Gabriel Rondón Olave will be the guarantor of the aforementioned and agreed upon matters, as will the governors of the rice-growing departments who attended the meetings. It is expected that before noon, both the commitment record and the resolution will be submitted to the SIC so that the committee can decide to lift the mobilization," they indicated.

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JESSIKA RODRIGUEZ M. Portfolio Journalist