Garlic producers in Constanza protest in front of the Agricultural Bank

By Esmil De Jesús Hernández Capellán

Constanza.- Several agricultural producers gathered in front of the Banco Agrícola in Constanza, parking several trucks fully loaded with garlic, as an act of peaceful protest, seeking to draw the attention of the authorities, given the financial situation they face with significant accumulated debts, which they understand they still have not resolved. The agricultural producer, Wilson Lora Gutiérrez, stated that in September of last year he harvested about 700 quintals of garlic, which they still haven't received, thus showing the trucks in the parking lot of the local offices of the Agricultural Bank, requesting intervention and trying to justify that if they sell it on the street, they will be in debt. While Martín Ciprián, President of the Unión y Trabajo Association, added that due to not planting garlic, the vegetables are on the floor today, leaving the producers bankrupt; and that the sale of such garlic is not to buy beers, but to pay the loans. Likewise, within their expressed disagreement, they emphasize that the Ministry of Agriculture owes garlic producers from previous years; this was stated by the agricultural producer, José Miguel Quezada, who also shares that it is one of the reasons why the producer is in decline, having difficulties in continuing to produce.

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The new local Manager of Banco Agrícola, Ambiorix Monción, while giving details in the midst of said protest, highlighted that the bank branch is there to facilitate financing, not the direct purchase of garlic, and that it is the Ministry of Agriculture that is in charge through different programs of the garlic purchasing processes. Producers hope that with this action an encouraging response can occur that allows them to get out of the difficult situation, and consolidate sustainability in future agricultural activities.