March 27, 2008
Buenos Aires

Dear Friends,

The rural producers have been on strike for 15 days now, and the rural truckers union is supporting their strike. The government is playing very hard-handed, and neither the government nor the producers are willing to bend.

The situation arose when the presidency (Kristina Fernández de Kirchner and her cabinet) decided to raise the federal taxes on produce sales from all producers. This act favors the 500 or so largest producers, since the measure will force many of the approximately 6,500 small and medium-sized producers to go out of business and sell their assets to the larger producers. The largest producers are responsible for about 55 percent of all rural production, including dairy, meat, vegetable, and grain. The small and medium-sized producers are asking that the government reduce its taxes on their produce and increase or maintain the taxes on the largest producers.

In rural areas, the small and medium producers have begun to give away their produce locally. The truckers union has been blocking the major highways to the large urban centers so that the produce from the large producers cannot get through. This is causing shortages now in Argentina’s largest urban area, the greater metropolitan Buenos Aires area. The city of Buenos Aires and its suburban area is home to a third of the population in this country. The supermarkets are lacking some products, and the prices of other products have increased between 50 and 150 percent in the last week.

This is causing tension. Last night was the first night that there were violent clashes between protesters and counter-protesters in downtown Buenos Aires.

Here at home, we are doing fine, so far. We were able to buy a new, larger refrigerator with twice the freezer capacity about a month ago. Yesterday we stocked up. The prices were high, and we were not able to purchase a great variety of fruit and vegetables, but we have enough for a week or 10 days. We have plenty of powdered milk in the cupboard in the event that we cannot continue to purchase regular milk for the kids. We are fortunate.

Many of the people we know simply cannot afford the higher prices. Many of the children that the church community reaches out to in our neighborhoods will eat much less in the next week or so until the crisis is resolved. This will affect their schoolwork, and tensions at home will increase because of hungry stomachs and frustrated parents.

The international community here at ISEDET (Instituto Superior Evangélico de Estudios Teológicos—Instituto Universitario), where I teach, will also suffer. Half of the first-year students are from Paraguay. They not only have to pay for their studies, but they also have to feed themselves. Please pray with me that their funds will make it through this food crisis, and that they will be able to afford to stay in Buenos Aires to continue their studies.

How can we be instruments of God’s reign and justice, and show the world how much God cares for the small and the weak?

May our Lord watch over us and guide us!

Yours in Christ’s service,

Katie Griffin

The 2008 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 280