Extractivismo y Estado: El Tranquerazo como respuesta a la instalación de Nitratos Austin S.A. en la provincia de Salta, Argentina

Abstract

Nitratos Austin S.A. es una empresa de capitales estadounidenses dedicada a la producción de nitrato de amonio, elemento utilizado en la fabricación de fertilizantes y explosivos para la megaminería. En 2011 la empresa presentó un Estudio de Impacto Ambiental y Social para instalar una planta en el departamento de Metán, provincia de Salta, pero la aspiración de construir allí una planta no tenía un consenso generalizado entre los vecinos del lugar. En mayo de 2013 los “Vecinos Autoconvocados de la Cuenca del Río Juramento” levantaron “El Tranquerazo”,un acampe fuera de la entrada del predio de la empresa, y evitaron el ingreso de materiales y trabajadores hasta marzo del 2014 cuando fueron desalojados por infantería. Actualmente, la planta se encuentra en construcción pero el conflicto socio-ambiental continúa. Este artículo define la instalación de Nitratos Austin S.A. en la provincia de Salta como un caso de extractivismo y muestra el rol fundamental que juegan tanto el extractivismo como el Estado en la acumulación del capital. El método utilizado para su realización fue la etnografía, que incluyó trabajos de campo e incorporó técnicas como la observación participante, el registro fotográfico y las entrevistas semiestructuradas no direccionadas. Se concluye que, en un contexto de disminución de los recursos naturales en los centros del capital, la incorporación de nuevos territorios y sus recursos al proceso de trabajo es vital. El extractivismo se vuelve un engranaje central de la acumulación del capital y el Estado, un sirviente del capital.

Nitrates Austin S.A. is an American capital company, subsidiary of Austin Powder International, which is dedicated to the production of ammonium nitrate, an element used in the manufacture of fertilizers and explosives for mega-mining. In 2011 the company presented an Environmental and Social Impact Study to install a plant in the department of Metán, province of Salta, but the aspiration to build a plant there did not have a general consensus among the residents of the area. In May 2013 the “Self-organized Neighbors of the Juramento River Basin” erected “El Tranquerazo”, a camp outside the entrance of the company’s premises, and prevented the entry of materials and workers until March 2014 when they were evicted by infantry . Since then, the plant is under construction but the socio-environmental conflict continues. The following work is proposed to define the installation of Nitratos Austin S.A. in the province of Salta as a case of extractivism, and to show the fundamental role played by both extractivism and the State in the accumulation of capital. To do this, the ethnographic method that included field work was used and incorporated techniques such as participant observation, photographic record and semi-structured non-directed interviews. In this work extractivism will be understood as a process that involves the extraction of natural resources in large volume or high intensity, which are exported as raw materials with a very low or no processing, and which implies the expansion of capital over territories previously considered unproductive. In most of the cases, the violence exerted by the State on nearby populations and communities so that the extractive projects are installed is decisive. Given the large amounts of water and natural gas - subsidized - that the enterprise will use, and that the final product of the chain (metals and agricultural products) will be almost completely exported, the arrival of Nitratos Austin S.A. is constituted in a case of extractivism. Besides, the State has implemented different mechanisms to criminalize and repress protest. It is concluded that in a context of diminishing natural resources in the capital centers, the incorporation of new territories and their resources into the work process is vital. Extractivism becomes a central mechanism of the accumulation of capital, and the role of the State is not a mere passivity, on the contrary, the State becomes a servant of capital.