Entre Ríos declared a state of agricultural emergency or disaster for cattle and beekeeping operations on islands and flood-prone land due to the rise of the Paraná. The measure, in force until July 2027, postpones the Rural and Sub-Rural Real Estate Tax advance payments until January 2028.
After several weeks of the Paraná River flood, Entre Ríos declared a state of agricultural emergency or disaster for the cattle and beekeeping operations affected by the phenomenon, becoming the first Mesopotamian province to do so. The measure covers producers located in island and flood-prone areas of the departments of La Paz, Paraná, Diamante, Victoria, Gualeguay and Islas del Ibicuy, and will remain in force until July 31, 2027.
The coastal regions hardest hit by the increased water flow remain on alert: despite speeding up the procedures, logistics are still complicating the transfer of animals off the islands. With the declaration, the province opened up tax exemptions at the provincial level and is moving forward with talks at the Ministerio de Economía so that the national government endorses the measure.
To cushion the effects of the water crisis, the decree postpones the due dates of the 2026 and 2027 Rural and Sub-Rural Real Estate Tax advance payments to January 31, 2028 for the establishments covered. It also sets up a special plan to settle the advance payments with payment facilities of up to three consecutive monthly installments and no financing interest, with the first one due on March 10, 2028.
The regulation also waives the fines and interest arising from late payment of the postponed advance payments. In cases classified as an agricultural disaster, producers will be directly exempt from paying the Rural and Sub-Rural Real Estate Tax advance payments due through July 2027. "The exemption percentage established will be equivalent to the percentage of loss declared in the disaster certificate granted in each case to the affected producers," the province clarified.
The measure, processed by the Comisión Provincial de Emergencia y Desastre Agropecuario, requires each establishment to register through a sworn statement before the Secretaría de Agricultura, Ganadería y Pesca de Entre Ríos in order to access the benefits provided.
The area selected is based on the analysis carried out by the provincial commission together with agencies such as the Instituto Nacional del Agua (INA), Senasa, the Fundación de Lucha Contra Fiebre Aftosa (Fucofa), the directorates of Hydraulics and Sanitary Works and of Animal Production, INTA and Prefectura Naval Argentina.
As for livestock, the report notes that the economic and productive damages stem from "the decline in productivity, the lower price obtained from forced sales of cattle, the higher costs of feed, transfer and leasing of receiving fields, as well as the operational and health difficulties associated with removing and relocating the animals." In other words, it takes into account not only the economic losses from the early exit from flood-prone areas, but also the subsequent "hidden cost," such as higher rents and falling market prices.
In beekeeping, the report focuses on the problems of apiaries located in wetland areas, islands and coastal strips, "including direct losses, difficulties in removing and relocating the hives and the productive, health and economic consequences arising from the flooding."
"Given the severity of the damages reported, which are exceptional in nature, it is concluded that they will significantly affect the economic performance of cattle and beekeeping producers in the impacted area and that, because of their magnitude, they will hinder compliance with tax and credit obligations by the actors involved," the province stated, justifying the importance of moving ahead with the first emergency declaration in the region.
