Guatemalans Occupy Farms Rejecting FTA
Prensa Latina, Cuba
Guatemalans Occupy Farms Rejecting FTA
2 July 2006
Guatemala, Jul 2 (Prensa Latina) Guatemalan farmers occupy Sunday six state farms in the country’s north and eastern regions for three consecutive days, protesting against the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with United States.
Claudia Villagran, assistant secretary to the Presidency’s Agricultural Affairs, stated that negotiations with the Farmer Unity Committee to solve these cases will start Tuesday.
Two of those farms are under the custody of the army, which presented a demand at the Public Ministry to achieve eviction for this way, spokesperson Jorge Ortega said.
These lands were occupied as part of protests for the FTA implementation July 1, which will have immediate negative effects for small and medium farmers.
According to a list published by Diario Oficial, hundreds of US agricultural products can already enter Guatemala without paying taxes.
One of the Guatemalan farmers’ problems will be the lack of a Law on Rural Development, to compensate for losses due to the trade pact with the United States, which puts them to compete on equal terms with a more powerful economy.
