Tierra Verde cooperatives challenge Oriente Moderno port tariffs as unfair

The Cooperative Council of Tierra Verde submitted a formal complaint to the Federal Commerce Authority on Thursday, arguing that loading and handling fees charged by the deep-water container terminal in Nueva Singapur discriminate against agricultural shipments from the region. The complaint names specific tariff schedules that the council says apply higher per-container rates to coffee and yerba mate exports than to comparable goods from other regions, effectively lowering the prices that Tierra Verde farmers receive at the point of export.

The dispute centers on tariff classifications and surcharges that have been in place for three years but have become more visible as coffee prices fluctuate on the federal exchange. According to the council's filing, a standard forty-foot container of packaged coffee from San Vicente incurs fees nearly twelve percent higher than the same container would pay if it originated from Costa Mar, despite both regions using the same port facility. The council contends this disparity has cost Tierra Verde cooperatives an estimated 1.2 million florins in excess fees over the past two years.

The Federal Commerce Authority has thirty days to acknowledge the complaint and schedule a preliminary hearing. The outcome could reshape how Tierra Verde's agricultural exports are priced and whether farmers receive a fair share of the revenue their crops generate. The complaint also raises broader questions about whether Oriente Moderno's port authority, which operates as a quasi-independent entity within the region, has sufficient federal oversight.