Seven former agriculture ministers and secretaries denounce that the INTA reengineering proposal aims to sell nearly 40,000 hectares of public lands and alter its historical mission. After legislative and judicial setbacks, the government calls the Board of Directors to approve structural changes. The Mesa de Enlace expresses uncertainty over the announced transformation.
The National Institute of Agricultural Technology (INTA), established nearly 70 years ago, faces a controversial reengineering proposal driven by the government. Seven former ministers and secretaries of Agriculture, Livestock, and Fisheries—Felipe Solá, Javier de Urquiza, Carlos Cheppi, Julián Domínguez, Norberto Yauhar, Luis Basterra, and Juan José Bahillo—issued a statement warning that it is not modernization but an 'immobiliare deal' to auction nearly 40,000 hectares of fields owned by the agency.
According to the signatories, the libertarian government persists after setbacks in Congress and courts, where a similar presidential decree was rejected. Now, they pressure the INTA Board of Directors, which they could not dissolve, to bypass institutional mechanisms and approve the sale of public lands. The proposal aims to redirect INTA's mission: instead of serving federal development and producers in regional economies, family farming, peasant, and indigenous sectors, it would prioritize projects co-financed by private actors, funded by public money.
Anticipated impacts include voluntary retirements drastically reducing staff, closure of key programs, experimental stations, and research projects in areas like climate change mitigation, deforestation, and natural resource conservation. The former officials warn that this would affect hundreds of thousands of producers relying on public policies for innovation and training, leading to loss of human capital and exclusive development.
In an extraordinary meeting on December 22, 2025, national officials presented rural leaders from the Mesa de Enlace with a document outlining seven structural change axes, including reviews of regional programs, personnel, and lands. The Mesa de Enlace, represented by figures like Sergio Iraeta and Nicolás Pino, expressed 'uncertainty and concern' over these plans. The signatories urge Board members, including rural entities and academics, to uphold popular and judicial will against this 'dismantling'.
