BajaNomad - Farmers, Ranchers, and the Zapatista Other Campaign Shut Down the Largest Salt Mine on Earth (?)

Farmers, Ranchers, and the Zapatista Other Campaign Shut Down the Largest Salt Mine on Earth (?)

BajaNews - 10-17-2006 at 02:04 PM

http://narcosphere.narconews.com/story/2006/10/16/51519/765

By Al Giordano,
Oct 16th, 2006

GUERRERO NEGRO, BAJA CALIFORNIA SUR; OCTOBER 16, 2006: On Sunday evening, as the Zapatista Other Campaign winded its way sixteen hours up Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula toward the US border, communal farmers of the Ejido Benito Juárez and the Ejido Diaz Ordaz, along that route, timed their occupation and shutdown of the largest salt mine in the world with the arrival of Subcomandante Marcos of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN, in its Spanish initials).

The farmers and ranchers awaited the Other Campaign caravan on Highway 1 in nearby Vizcaino, and invited Marcos and the organizations and media accompanying him to join the occupation.

As this story goes to press, Delegate Zero and the Other Campaign are camped out with the local citizenry, surrounding the pumping station – now turned off, courtesy of the direct action of the people – that made, prior to this night, the mining of seven million tons of salt per year possible...

The Japanese Mitsubishi Corporation and the Mexican government operate the mining company but paid the farmers just 148 pesos (about 14 dollars) per year for each hectare (that is, about $1.20 per month, or four cents a day, to extract the resources of each 2.4 acres) until last April, when the farmers occupied the site and forced the bosses to up that sum a bit: to 1,000 pesos (about $90 dollars, less than thirty cents per day per hectare). At first the multinational giant and the Mexican State have pled poverty and refused to budge. But in the end, the owners had to back down. The arrival of Delegate Zero and the Other Campaign provided the opportunity to up the ante.

In addition to the pumps vital to the mining operation, the farmers and ranchers invaded 39,000 hectares (150 square miles) and have declared that either the Exportadora del Sal corporation (51-percent owned by the government of Mexico, 49-percent owned by Mitsubishi) will meet their demands “or they must leave.”

It is a David vs. Goliath battle: the 376 inhabitants of the Benito Juárez Ejido and the 2,339 of the Diaz Ordaz Ejido are up against Mexico (the 11th largest economic entity on earth) and Mitsubishi (the 38th, wealthier than most countries).

Still, the Davids shut down the Goliaths in the early morning hours of today, as they did last April. And this time, by adhering to the Other Campaign, they ensured that they do not fight alone.

“What happens now is we are going to Baja California Norte, Sonora, Chihuahua, Zacatecas and the rest of the country,” Marcos told the farmers and ranchers, according to a videotape just received in the mobile Narco Newsroom that records his arrival and first meeting with the farmers and ranchers in Vizcaino. “And we are going to tell what is happening to you just as we have told what has happened to Chiapas.”

Cypress - 10-17-2006 at 02:36 PM

WOW! :yes:

A little confused tho?

$1.20/month to $90.00/month? That's a neat increase in rent. :light:

Salt will probably cost more. Glad I don't use any more salt than what's already added to the "store bought" stuff. :lol:

JESSE - 10-17-2006 at 02:46 PM

Marcos should pack and go back to Mexico city, and anything coming from the narconews website is completely biased

rts551 - 10-17-2006 at 03:15 PM

not $90 per month. $90 per year.

Cypress - 10-17-2006 at 03:38 PM

rts551. OH! Thanks. :bounce:

Bet all those salt-workers are real happy about being out of work.

Guess Marcos will pay 'em for being unemployed. :light:

David K - 10-17-2006 at 06:11 PM

Let's see, when the salt mine began in 1957 and there was no town of Guerrero Negro yet... it was called Salina Vizcaino originally.

The only population between there and San Ignacio 49 years ago was the few ranchos in the vast desert.

Where do these 'new' ejidos come from that say the salt flats that are part of Laguna Ojo de Liebre (Scammon's Lagoon)... federal land, in any way belong to them, now?

roundtuit - 10-17-2006 at 06:17 PM

These Ejidos live in caves and eat mushrooms till the world around them starts to show some monies then they pounce. Kinda like a good lawyer.

shari - 10-18-2006 at 12:53 PM

The sad thing is about my pals from Benito Juarez is that now that their primary income is from the salt works rent, most have stopped planting crops and have become kind of lazy and just live on the salt works $$. ESSA is on their designated land and has historically been very bad at paying out what they owe the ejiditarios which is why they had to take drastic action years ago when they were owed years of back rent. It will be interesting as price of salt drops to see if this company can survive at a competitive rate. 90% of the population of Guerrero Negro depends on this...and these salt ponds don't last forever...after 40 years they are useless and too toxic to produce table quality salt....hmmmm

bajalou - 10-18-2006 at 06:07 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by shari
r...after 40 years they are useless and too toxic to produce table quality salt....hmmmm

Thats strange- the salt ponds on the southern San Francisco bay (Old Leslie Salt) have been operating continously since 1870 which is well over 100 years.

:?:

David K - 10-18-2006 at 06:33 PM

Salt pond on Isla Carmen (and others around Baja) have been mined since mission times... Shari, I think somebody gave you bad info.

The sea water is pumped into the huge 'pans' (salt flats) next to Scammon's Lagoon... H2O evaporates (from solar energy), and the salts are left behind to be scraped into trucks to the warf, barged to Cedros Island and then transported onto cargo ships. Unless the sea water being pumped into the evaporative pans has changed, the salt wouldn't change.

Without the salt, Guerrero Negro and Isla Cedros jobs would nearly disappear.

[Edited on 10-19-2006 by David K]

rts551 - 10-18-2006 at 06:40 PM

As I understand it, the brine that is left behind must be discharged to keep the salt flats viable (I remember this because of the San Ignacio discussions). Don't know if this is the problem in Guerro Negro.

Hook - 10-19-2006 at 11:44 AM

WOW, is Mexico gonna just let this guy run around the country, shutting down businesses as he sees fit?

Where's the cojones in this country?

Martyman - 10-19-2006 at 11:53 AM

The workers joined Marcos. They appreciate what he is doing. They are hoping for a better life. Is there something wrong with that?

Cypress - 10-19-2006 at 11:59 AM

Martyman. Nothing wrong with a better life. :spingrin:

There're a lot of Cubans in Miami that will agree with you. :yes:

shari - 10-19-2006 at 02:14 PM

A student of mine was the chemist who tested the salt for toxic levels as their grades of salt depend on the toxic levels....grade A is table salt which they scrape off the top, the next layer is more toxic and the more you scrape up the deeper stuff the more toxic it is....the bottom stuff is sent to Canada to put on the roads, which then leaches into the soil which now has been linked to cancer...nasty stuff. There are lots of salt ponds which are now out of commission...like the one on the way out to the lighthouse that is soooo stinky. The original few ponds are now unuseable and CIBNOR is trying to figure out what they can plant there to help the recovery of these lands. Each salt works has a different system but I got this info from a very reliable source and have heard it from other chemists that used to work at the salt works as well....why do you think they want to expand into San Ignacio folks....they are going to need new ponds to produce nice table salt. I realize this isn't published info...it isn't something they want the general public to know I'm sure. It makes sense.

Martyman - 10-19-2006 at 03:17 PM

What is the constituent that is making tham toxic?

wilderone - 10-19-2006 at 03:29 PM

The remaining brine ? a dark red liquid packed with other minerals, such as magnesium, and referred to as "bittern" ? is drained off to leave a bed of pure sodium chloride 5 to 8 inches deep. (Bittern is toxic to marine life and cannot be discharged into the bay; some has been used to produce highway de-icer but the rest is simply stored in ponds and poses a major cleanup chore and liability issue during anticipated ecological restoration.
. . . Once the dust and other impurities have been removed, it is dried and readied for sale. Industrial salt is shipped in bulk, salt for food and pharmaceutical uses undergoes further refining before being packaged.

Sources: "Salt: A World History" by Mark Kurlansky (2002: Walker Publishing Co.).

tripledigitken - 10-19-2006 at 04:15 PM

Wilderone

Thanks for the information. It seems making the money is the easy part, cleaning up the residual mess is another matter. I hope the ecological restoration does indeed occur, but I wouldn't hold my breath. Look at the various Super Fund sites in the US.

David K - 10-19-2006 at 05:08 PM

Okay folks, you hate corporations that have the nerve to make money (but you still buy what they make or work for them or own stock in them).... WHERE do you want to get salt from, it doesn't grow on trees?

The salt flats were there before the 'bad' salt company came around... nothing was or will grow on them... That is what God made for us to use, salt flats. The inginuity of man was to pump sea water onto the flats and let the sun evaporarte the water away so more salt could be scraped off the flats that we ALL need.

kellychapman - 10-19-2006 at 09:07 PM

I don't hate corporation that make money....that makes no sense to me as to why work your ass off for anything that doesn't make money...what would be the point??
anyway, this is very informative information and very much appreciated for the valueble lesson on salt minning and the terrible hazards that go with it.....what a bummer... :?:

Don't shoot the messengers....

Lee - 10-19-2006 at 09:36 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by David K
Okay folks, you hate corporations that have the nerve to make money (but you still buy what they make or work for them or own stock in them).... WHERE do you want to get salt from, it doesn't grow on trees?

The salt flats were there before the 'bad' salt company came around... nothing was or will grow on them... That is what God made for us to use, salt flats. The inginuity of man was to pump sea water onto the flats and let the sun evaporarte the water away so more salt could be scraped off the flats that we ALL need.

Nobody is saying anything about hating corporations. Greedy corporations that pollute and ravish the land is another story.

Shari spells out the issues around toxic waste.

Table salt at the price of toxic waste sites? I think not.

Use less salt. It's not all that good for you anyway.

:cool:

Skeet/Loreto - 10-20-2006 at 12:56 PM

Is the Salt Ponds as Toxic as the Bay of Victoria Canada???

Skeet

Farming ?

MrBillM - 10-20-2006 at 01:59 PM

Where are those Farmers who have been put out of business by the Salt operations ? When I first travelled to Guerrero Negro and Malarrimo Beach back in 1976 (30 years ago) I saw no evidence of any current or previous farming in the area of the Salt Pond operations or anywhere nearby.

Cypress - 10-20-2006 at 02:13 PM

MrBillM, :bounce:

Have never visited the Guerrero Negro/Malarrimo Beach area. Gonna side with you on this issue.

Farming on salt flats doesn't sound too smart. :no:

What are you gonna grow, salt crystals?

shari - 10-20-2006 at 05:19 PM

The ejido is located a few miles past the entrance to the lagoon and they had lots of field and graze alot of cattle around the area. Yes there were natural salt flats in that area but thousands of hectares have been flooded that were not salt flats, but lovely wetlands and swamps etc. I also do not hate big companies that make money but think they could be more ecologically responsible. The salt flats are on ejido land and they don't want to sell them....go figure...

tuna stick - 10-20-2006 at 11:26 PM

Seems to me, Subcomindante Marcos could probably run the salt works much more efficiently,and much more to the advantage of both the land owners and the workers. Give it to him! Viva La Sal!

shari - 10-21-2006 at 12:52 PM

An interesting thing about these big corporations that come to Baja, they don't employ locals much...I can assure you that not one of the ejido members works there. Like the hotel chains, they bring most of their workers from Mexico City which lots of locals resent. they come promising employment but it's not really happening much. It's sad to see mexicanos selling their patrimony....but, some need the money for lond needed medical operations or to pay for the land they live on, or fix up their houses...hardly any want that land at the beach...mostly sand dunes, windy, no services so they sell it and use the money for what they need. Hard call when someone in need offers you a piece of land they would never use...ya don't feel like you are taking advantage and they are very appreciative you helped them out. Still....it's sad.

When did they start Farming ?

MrBillM - 10-21-2006 at 01:32 PM

Not having seen any indication of farming in the area in 1976 when the Salt Works and evaporation ponds had been established for many, many years, I'm wondering when they started farming this Ejido land ? If the Salt Works was in full operation at the time, it seems to me they don't have any reason to complain.