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Theft in Agriculture: Crime Has Affected 78% of the Sector and Reaches US$380.6 Million in 12 Months

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78% of farmers have been victims of theft, and 11% report having suffered violence when confronting this crime. This is part of the findings from the "First Agricultural Theft Barometer," a survey conducted by the National Agricultural Society (SNA).

The survey was conducted online between Thursday, March 6, and Thursday, March 13, with 1,092 responses. When dividing the results by the size of the affected business, a higher proportion was observed among large companies (18%), while smaller companies accounted for 7%.

Meanwhile, 40% (320 cases) have been victims of theft 3 or more times; 32% have been victimized twice; and 28% have been victimized only once in the last 12 months. Responses by company size.

The theft cases over the last 12 months were distributed as follows: 13% affected micro-enterprises, 32% small businesses, 30% medium-sized businesses, and 26% large companies.

Regarding the most frequently stolen items, the majority were agricultural inputs (29%), followed by agricultural production (18%), and electrical installations (16%).

When evaluating the financial losses caused by theft, the highest-value products were: $5.006 billion in agricultural inputs; $3.887 billion in electrical installations; and $2.371 billion in agricultural production. Adding all categories (inputs, livestock, machinery, production, installations, and others), losses total $16.199 billion. This equates to an average loss of $19 million for each respondent who reported being a victim of theft.

Respondents—whether victims of theft or not—were asked if they had confidence that filing a report would yield positive results. 67% said they did not trust the process, while only 33% said they did.

"The low level of confidence in the usefulness of reporting is concerning. We must encourage filing reports, as they are the primary source of information regarding crime occurrences," commented the SNA, adding that "we are working on this issue with various authorities."

As part of the survey's conclusions, the SNA stated that, based on data from the SII (Internal Revenue Service), the agricultural sector has about 76,407 active RUTs (tax IDs), and these companies generate annual sales of US$17.083 billion.

"If the survey results are extrapolated, it can be estimated that total theft in the agricultural sector amounts to US$380.6 million over 12 months," they detailed. They also noted that the theft of agriculture-specific products, such as agrochemicals, "implies there is a market for them, and some farmers are buying them."

In this regard, they urged farmers "not to buy from the informal market, as it encourages theft." The SNA also pointed out that theft affecting the sector largely targets productive assets, "harming not only current production but also future production capacity."

Source:Emol.com