Farmer Carlos Pochiñec, originally from Fram in the department of Itapúa, has threatened to resort to violence after reporting repeated invasions of his rural property in the Rincón de Borja area, in the district of Borja, Guairá department. He grows rice and chia at the location and states that for several years, cattle from neighboring properties have been trespassing on his land, causing destruction and significant economic losses.
Pochiñec declared that he has filed approximately 50 reports over the last two years with the National Police and the Public Prosecutor's Office, without, according to him, receiving an effective response. Out of frustration, he issued a serious public warning, stating that he has informed the authorities that if he again finds the people he identifies as responsible inside his property, he "will kill them." "If I find those guys on my property tomorrow, I'll kill them, it will be as simple as that," said the farmer, who also mentioned a debt of two million dollars.
The producer also reported that his brother was allegedly threatened with firearms and forced to get off a tractor by individuals involved in the conflict, with the machine's windshield being destroyed. He accused police officers of failing to intervene even though patrol vehicles were nearby during the incident, and he attributed the lack of progress in the investigations to alleged political and police protection of the supposed perpetrators.
The conflict in the region is long-standing and has multiple versions. Months ago, the Specialized Environmental Crimes Prosecutor's Office intervened in the area following complaints from residents of the Rincón de Borja area. The neighbors accused Pochiñec of carrying out channeling and modifications to a watercourse that allegedly left a communal field used for cattle breeding without water. Technicians from the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development (Mades) and the National Service of Plant and Seed Quality and Health (Senave) conducted inspections at the time.
In addition to the environmental investigation, the same neighbors filed complaints for alleged cases of cattle rustling, assaults, and attempts on lives, accusations that the farmer categorically denies. Pochiñec maintains that he is the victim of threats, attacks, and property damage.