Following the declaration of national interest of the El Algarrobo polymetallic mining project, located in Tambogrande, Piura region, grassroots social organizations established a transitory commission to collectively respond to this provocation made by the Agencia de Promoción de la Inversión Privada (ProInversión) and the Ministry of Energy and Mines (Minem).
In 2002, the district of Tambogrande became the first city in Latin America to hold a referendum on the controversial mining project of Manhattan Sechura Compañía Minera S.A. (MSCM), a subsidiary of the Canadian company Manhattan Minerals Corp (MMC). The result was overwhelming: 98.65% of the people said no to mining and opted for agriculture.
Twenty-two years later, now the Buenaventura mining company and the questioned head of Minem, Rómulo Mucho Mamani, have joined forces to try to move forward with this copper, zinc, and silver polymetallic project. Faced with these political and business pressures, the president of the district’s Local Development Committee, Luis Riofrio Crisanto, pointed out that the El Algarrobo project is practically similar to the then-Manhattan project.
In the past, Manhattan was composed of 3 concessions, one of which was located between Tambogrande and the rural community of Locuto, which is now called “Social Management, Design and Execution of Hydraulic Infrastructure Projects, Construction, Implementation and Exploitation of the Mining Concessions comprising the TG-3 El Algarrobo Deposit” (Gestión Social, Diseño y Ejecución de Proyectos de Infraestructura Hidráulica, Construcción, Implementación y Explotación de las Concesiones Mineras integrantes del Yacimiento TG-3 El Algarrobo), with a total investment of USD$ 2.753 million.
This time, the risk is in the Middle and Lower Piura Valley, an area that produces rice, cotton, corn, and also food products for export, such as grapes and avocado. This area is also constantly affected by the intense rains that occur from time to time on the Piura coast and highlands. Therefore, the rejection of the El Algarrobo project is also based on the agricultural sector’s fear that any type of mining operation could also generate environmental impacts in the San Lorenzo Valley and the urban population of Piura.
Despite the fact that the mining strategy and the Dina Boluarte regime are focused on carrying out water supply projects based on agreements with the population, complying with a series of environmental standards with the development of a subterranean mine, technical training for farmers, among other measures, the people’s distrust and resounding rejection of mining is overwhelming. Especially with the history of large-scale mining in other regions such as Cajamarca, Huancavelica, La Libertad and Ancash, places where the so-called “development” has only favored powerful groups, has further impoverished the population and generated environmental impacts on natural resources. These examples prove that the coexistence between agriculture and mining is a fallacy.
Therefore, the leader Riofrio Crisanto explained that the transitional commission established in Tambogrande is made up by representatives of the user and irrigation boards, town municipalities, the youth and peasant patrols. These social organizations have led a struggle in the past that is now supported by regional government authorities and the district’s mayor, according to their statements published in the local media.
For the executive secretary of Red Muqui, Jaime Borda Pari, this situation is a new affront to the people of Tambogrande, since – as in the case of Valle de Tambo in Arequipa – the Tambogrande and Middle and Lower Piura valleys are agricultural zones that supply various products to the macronorth region and are a source of work and economic income for farmers.
“Once again the Dina Boluarte regime insists on a project that is environmentally and socially unfeasible,” he said.
CooperAcción, an institution associated with Red Muqui, published a map of mining concessions in the district showing that they occupy 42.5% of the entire territory. “In addition to the concessions promoted by ProInversion, companies such as Buenaventura, Nexa Resources, Minera Miski, among several others, already have concessions in the district.”
