The Argentine Congress is debating on live television a proposal to increase grain-export taxes that has sparked farm strikes and food shortages across the country.

The ruling Peronist party has agreed to introduce measures to help small producers and to simplify tax collection in a session expected to continue to early Saturday. But opponents want to suspend the tax increase decreed by President Cristina Fernandez in March.

Fernandez sent the measure to Congress for debate to quell the strikes and protests that have caused a severe drop in her popularity. She says export-tax increases are needed to share farm profits with Argentina’s poor. Farmers say the taxes hurt their ability to make a living and reinvest in production.