Government blames protesting bean farmers for fire that destroyed welfare food supply in Zacatecas

Federal authorities are blaming protesting bean farmers for a government warehouse fire that destroyed 6 million pesos (US $344,000) worth of food on Tuesday in the state of Zacatecas.

A government welfare warehouse was completely destroyed and an adjacent milk storage warehouse is being inspected for damage.

Dozens of farmers from across the north-central state had gathered in the state capital to demand that Zacatecas authorities comply with the increased bean quota authorized by the federal government after a March 28 visit by President Claudia Sheinbaum.

The farmers, who have long accused state authorities of corruption, said this week that middlemen, state officials and speculators had filled half of the increased quota, depriving 2,000 small producers of the benefits promised. They demanded a state audit of bean collection centers and submitted a list of 20 people they want investigated.

State officials attempted to negotiate with the farmers outside the warehouse on Tuesday, but failed to convince them to end the protest.

Agitators among the crowd then began using gasoline drums to set tires on fire around 4 p.m. in an attempt to block access to the warehouse complex until the state government satisfied their demands.

The flames soon got out of control and the Rural Supply Program building caught fire around 7 p.m., burning through the night. Emergency personnel managed to extinguish 90% of the blaze by late Wednesday.

No injuries were reported but the federal government confirmed that the building and produce — primarily groceries used to supply small stores throughout Zacatecas — were lost.

Sheinbaum said the Federal Attorney General’s Office (FGR) has already begun a criminal investigation to determine if the warehouse caught fire accidentally or if the blaze was deliberately set. State authorities are also conducting a criminal investigation.

In a statement, the Agriculture Ministry strongly condemned “these violent acts that affect the poorest segments of the population, damage public property and endanger people’s safety,” while insisting that it “will act firmly and through institutional channels to ensure that these acts do not go unpunished.”

For its part, Alimentaci贸n para el Bienestar (Nutrition for Well-being) — a federal government company focused on ensuring food security — blamed “bean producers led by local leaders linked to political actors in the state of Zacatecas” for the blaze. It said it is taking the logistical actions necessary to maintain supply in the subsidized Tiendas Bienestar stores across the state.

With reports from La Jornada, El Pa铆s, N+ and Reforma

The post Government blames protesting bean farmers for fire that destroyed welfare food supply in Zacatecas appeared first on Mexico News Daily



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