The President of the Republic, José Raúl Mulinoreacted to the public debate surrounding Bill 433 on bioethanol and assured that the initiative was “taken out of context” due to political and media controversy.
Mulino confirmed that he spoke about the issue and defended that the debate deviated from technical analysis towards political confrontation.
According to the president, the discussion of ethanol “it was completely taken out of the technical context of this product to take it strictly to the realm of speculation and slander”.
In his opinion, what was sought was “carrying a debate totally unrelated to whether the project is good or bad”.
The president maintained that the decision not to advance the debate in the National Assembly For now it will have economic effects.
“For now there will be no ethanol, with the consequent damage to the enormous number of jobs that this industry would have generated for the country”he stated.
He also stressed that The development of the sector involved “multi-million dollar” investments and the possibility of sugarcane producers diversifying their production towards specialized varieties for ethanol. “But hey, it won’t be possible.”he reiterated, insisting that the debate was dominated by “the gossip, the slander and the speculation”.
A project surrounded by interests
The bill that requires mixing 10% of bioethanol with gasoline has put sugar mills with historical ties to the country’s economic and political power under the microscope.
Four power plants expressed interest to the Ministry of Energy: National Sugar Company (Ansa), Compañía Azucarera La Estrella (Calesa), Ingenio La Victoria and Central Azucarero de Alanje (Cadasa).
Among the names orbiting the debate are figures of political weight: the Minister of Economy Philip Chapman, whose brother appears as a substitute director at Calesawho claimed to have distanced himself from the entire process and the presidential advisor Aníbal Galindo Navarrofamily-related to the company but without shareholding, according to what Galindo told La Decana.
The La Victoria sugar mill, linked to the former president’s family, is also added to the list. Ricardo Martinelliwhich has publicly promoted the economic potential of ethanol, with estimates of up to 30,000 jobs and nearly $400 million in investments.
In the case of Cadasa, the current comptroller Anel Flores He was legal representative and director of the company even before taking office.
For his part, Mulino made it clear that the fate of the project is now in the hands of the Legislature.
