2024-07-27 04:18:26
The commissioners heard from Oswin Crespo, vice president of the Ecuadorian Federation of Aquaculture Farmers, who explained the current situation faced by small shrimp producers.
“The pricing policies of the major exporters have affected us to the point of bankruptcy. We compete on an uneven and unfair playing field, as our sales price is even lower than our production cost,” he said.
“Shrimp farmers who do not export directly make up 47% of the sector, but we are relegated by the uncontrolled expansion of the aquaculture frontier by large groups that occupy approximately 53 thousand hectares of land.” Therefore, he asked the commission to regulate, in the code under discussion, the requirements for the construction of new shrimp farms, in favor of small producers.
For his part, Carlos Loor, president of the Chamber of Agriculture of Manabí and Esmeraldas, stated that, “currently the country does not have State policies aimed at regulating the sector, but rather a clientelist relationship between the agricultural authority and the country’s producers.”
“This code should lay the foundations for future administrations to establish short, medium and long-term policies for planning and development of the productive sector, consistent with the needs of its stakeholders and the risks of production.”
For his part, Fausto Álvarez, president of the National Federation of Chambers of Agriculture of Ecuador, noted what he believes should be adjusted in the article. He questioned the execution of public-private partnerships, who will determine the procedures for fair profitability and how it will be measured, as well as the application of tariffs on imports of inputs for production.
In conclusion, the legislators agreed that the producer associations are going through a critical situation and they committed to legislating and creating a code that provides a comprehensive response to their needs.
Source: Radio Huancavilca