The images are as eloquent as they are dramatic: a dump truck discards a large quantity of tangerines from its box to a garbage dump. Around it are other mounds of discarded fruit. All in the country with more than 50% poor.
There are, in total, at least 8,000 kilos of the Creole variety that were dumped in the citrus-growing area of Chajarí, in Entre Ríos, according to calculations by producers in the area. There could be many more among those that are discarded in each field and what is not harvested. The image went viral very quickly on social networks.
The video was released by the producer Elvio Calgaro, who is also a leader of the Agrarian Federation and former president of the Federation of Citrus Growers of Entre Ríos.
“We were doing well and the offers were keeping up with the demand in the last two or three years, due to the drought there was a balance. But then the rains came, accompanied precisely by the problem of the economic recession that exists.”
This fruit is perishable, like the tomato, its time comes and if you don’t eat it, it starts to rot, so it doesn’t reach the market, you can’t send it. And that’s because for many, it’s the most appetizing mandarin, the tastiest. It’s the criolla, the most economical. Well, unfortunately these things are happening because it couldn’t be brought to market in a timely manner. Well, it went too far and other varieties are coming after it. There are the results,” said Calcagno in an interview with the program. Agricultural Colony, by AM550.
“We were doing well and the offers were keeping up with the demand in the last two or three years, due to the drought there was a balance. But then the rains came, accompanied by the economic recession. The purchasing power of the people fell, it plummeted, that is what we noticed, and therefore there is a little more fruit but less consumption,” said the citrus grower.
“We noticed that there is a serious problem with consumption, there is no strength, because if today they pay you 150 pesos for a kilo, the numbers are no longer adding up for the factory at 150 either. In front of you, you have a liter of diesel that costs 1,300 pesos in the provinces.”
“The worst thing that can happen to a producer is to see his production thrown away, because behind each mandarin there is a lot of effort, a lot of sacrifice. There is no way out (to the market) and other varieties come, and they have to be thrown away. We do know that a lot of fruit of this variety will remain on the plant. Frost is forecast for Sunday. I think that will surely help to bring them down,” added Calcagno and explained that the segment is distributed 70% for fresh consumption, 20% for the industry and only 10% for export.
“We noticed that there is a serious problem with consumption, there is no strength, because if today they pay you 150 pesos for a kilo, the numbers are not adding up at 150 either. In front of you there is a liter of diesel that costs 1,300 pesos in the provinces. How many kilos of mandarin do you need to buy a liter of diesel? And well, we are in trouble, because all the costs add up. We started like this, we are afraid that this might lead to another production, to another variety, that it will continue over time,” said the producer in the radio interview.
