Paraguayan Indigenous Peoples & Farmers Start March in Asuncion

On Thursday, the National Farmers' Federation (FNC) kicked off its 30th "Farmer, Indigenous, and Popular March" in Asuncion, the capital city of Paraguay, under the motto "For land and production, and against All Injustices."

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Summoned by the FNC, social activists, environmental defenders, and progressive politicians departed from the Metropolitan Seminary towards the Main Square, where popular organizations gathered in support of demands for policies ensuring access to land and supporting agricultural production.

"Paraguay's main problem is land ownership inequality, which has led to increasing land grabbing by a few large landowners, leaving approximately 300,000 families landless," FNC Secretary Marcial Gomez said.

"The situation worsens with President Santiago Peña's austerity policies, which have cut the budget of the Agriculture and Livestock MInistry by 35 percent," he added.

The text reads, "The 30th edition of the traditional march of the National Farmers' Federation takes place, whose adherents will march to the Main Square, where they will demonstrate in protest against the 'instrumentalization' of institutions such as the Public Ministry 'by a small group' , among other claims."

This happens despite the fact that small-farmer agriculture, which occupies only 6 percent of cultivated land in this South American country, produces 15 percent of the food consumed in the capital city and 48 percent of the food consumed in rural areas.

"Paraguayan farmers face increasing precariousness. Their incomes from the sale of their products are increasingly reduced, while the final price of food for the population has increased by 30 percent in recent years," the agency Presentes recalled.

"The FNC's call has received support from various sectors, including student organizations and the LGBTQ+ community, who also joined the demonstration in Asuncion," it added.

"We need policies that guarantee substantial improvements for farmers in production and irrigation systems, access to agricultural insurance against climate change, and access to social rights such as education, health, and employment," said Esperanza Martinez, a Senator from the Frente Guasu.