Argy Dispute Latest

Argy farm leaders are due to meet with the Production Minister Debora Giorgi later today in what should be a very interesting "discussion".

Leading Argy daily Clarin reported yesterday that the government wants to create a "Commercialization Agency" to influence market prices, in which it (the state) would hold a 51 percent stake.

A Production Ministry official told another daily, Pagina 12, that the new agency would be ’inspired by the entities...in Canada and Australia’ (referring to the AWB and CWB), with a focus on ensuring domestic supply and promoting domestic processing.

With mistrust of the government running at all-time highs amongst the farm leaders it seems that a move giving them the casting vote on grain & cattle exports is not going to be sanctioned easily.

On Saturday, almost 30 farm groups published full-page newspaper advertisements titled "Argentina in Reverse," warning that state intervention could spark demonstrations and paralyse the sector.

Watch this space.