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Diesel is a product in Zapotillo that, according to the producers, disappears in a matter of hours from the only gas station in the canton.
In Zapotillo, acquiring diesel has become a challenge for small, medium and large producers in the area, who require fuel so that their machinery can work.
This fuel is intended for water pumps and tractors. However, in recent weeks the farmers, they say, have faced the refusal to sell the product, since the dispatch for the domestic amounts that are delivered to them for production was prohibited.
In their interventions, those affected point out that in order to purchase fuel, be it gasoline or diesel for use in agriculture, a permit called domestic amount must be obtained from the Agency for the Regulation and Control of Non-Renewable Energy and Natural Resources, formerly known as Hydrocarbons.
The distribution and sale of fuel in the city of Loja is normalized
But in recent weeks, producers allege that dispatches of domestic amounts have been suspended at the only gas station in Zapotillo, which is owned by the state company Petroecuador.
They explained that this happened because the gas station was destroyed and was being remodeled (as were the ones in Alamor and Celica), but with the pandemic everything was left in a provisional work.
In addition, they expressed that the Regulation Agency decided to remove the service station category from the Zapotillo gas station and left it with a collection center denomination, with which they can no longer dispatch domestic amounts.
They indicated that the alternative they were given was to go to the nearby gas stations, be it Pindal or Macará, but at those points they reported that the same discussion is repeated because there is no fuel and they cannot ensure that they are sold.
Farmers believe that there is no interest in helping.
They say that they have a quota of between 20 and 40 gallons a month to make water pumps work and be able to irrigate, but it is impossible for them to pay for a trip to go to Alamor (Puyango) to buy fuel.
Given this, some are forced to buy informally to survive, taking into account that they do not sell a gallon of diesel for $1.75, but for $2.50. Another solution that they are told, they said, is to go to Catamayo to see diesel in the amount they want, but at the international price (which exceeds $4.50), which is not feasible for them.
There is no gasoline in Loja and Zamora
The producers mentioned that agriculture in Zapotillo is doomed, since they know that the intention would continue to be to close the gas station in their canton.
They also noted that a tanker with 10,000 gallons of diesel would arrive in Zapotillo every day at 5:00 p.m., which at first glance would seem like too much, but in about an hour there is no more fuel.
Although the dispatch of domestic amounts was suspended, they warned that the quota was not lowered and despite this the problem persists and the most affected are small farmers.
According to the producers, an official from the Regulation Agency would have mentioned to them that only service stations can dispatch the domestic amounts, but since Zapotillo has a provisional deposit, they can no longer comply with that and what they should do is reform their request and add a nearby gas station (Macará or Pindal).
The governor of the province, Fredy Bravo, anticipated that he knew that the problem of the dispatch for the producers would have been solved, although they say otherwise. (YO)
Source: Eluniverso
Paul is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment and general news. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established herself as a respected voice in the industry.
