Argentina: The National Federation of Potato Producers joined the opposition against the draft law that seeks to regulate land use.

The  draft law  on soil and water protection for agricultural, livestock, and forestry purposes, drafted by the College of Agricultural and Forestry Engineers of the Province of Buenos Aires (CIAFBA), which is now before the Buenos Aires senators, has received renewed opposition.

This is the National Federation of Potato Producers, which stated its position regarding this initiative, after having already received  strong criticism from the Confederation of Rural Associations of Buenos Aires and La Pampa (CARBAP) and  the Argentine Chamber of Rural Real Estate (CAIR) .

Broadly speaking, the organization that represents potato producers considered it important to work to protect the resource, but considered that this path must be built with incentives and sustained public policies, not with sanctions or exclusions.

In this regard, they expressed their agreement with the spirit of preserving and restoring soil health, but stressed that an initiative of this magnitude must be born from consensus, with the active participation of producers and their representative organizations.

“THE PRODUCER IS THE FIRST PARTY INTERESTED IN TAKING CARE OF THE SOIL”

"We can’t move forward on policies that directly affect the productive system without the participation of those who sustain it every day with their work," the Papera Federation stated.

They added: "Caring for, preserving, and nurturing it is everyone’s obligation: the State, technical institutions, and producers."

The Federation expressed its position that soil deterioration cannot be attributed exclusively to agricultural practices, but in many cases is due to natural processes—such as erosion or loss of organic matter—and in others, to the lack of long-term public policies or profitability problems that prevent producers from investing in the nutrition and recovery of the resource.

"The producer is the first person interested in caring for the soil, because it is where the crops that feed their families and millions of Argentine consumers come from. Caring for the soil means producing for the future, but doing so requires a present State, with policies that encourage producers, not punish them," they emphasized.

Therefore, the organization insisted that soil care must be built on a state policy of incentives, not sanctions.

Along these lines, he warned that the economic decline facing the sector, with years of low profitability and rising costs, makes any system that imposes new burdens without considering accompanying measures unviable.

The Federation also questioned the fact that, while the professionals representing the project informally consulted with industry professionals, the entities were not formally invited to participate in its development.

"Before drafting a law, all stakeholders must be brought together at the same table. You can’t legislate on production without the producers," they reiterated.

They also proposed that the Executive Branch—both national and provincial—should develop a comprehensive soil conservation and restoration policy that includes credit programs, technical assistance, applied research, and training in good agricultural practices.

"The true path to sustainability is built through dialogue and participation, not through impositions," they concluded.