This is the assertion of the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). They insist that Latin America and the Caribbean have the capacity to be self-sufficient and make a significant contribution in the fight against hunger.
Cira Rodríguez César
Currently, the majority of Latin American and Caribbean countries are ‘net importers’: they import more than they export, despite the fact that the region as a whole produces more than its people need.
An investigation carried out by FAO in collaboration with ALADA, the Latin American Association for Integration, revealed that more than half the $79.191 billion of food imported (57%) comes from other parts of the world, mainly the US.
Overall, according to FAO statistics, Latin American/Caribbean total food trade averaged $275.307 billion per year between 2010 and 2012.
Of this, $196.116 billion were exports and $79.191 billion, as mentioned, were imports – a continuing trend with similar figures currently being registered.
However, the region’s own producers which are considered huge food exporters could meet this internal demand.
Argentina is the largest producer in the region, with exports of some $10.166 billion annually; Brazil and Chile are next with $5.7 billion and $3 billion respectively; Paraguay and Uruguay for their part achieve $0.5 billion; whilst Mexico buys more than it sells alongside the majority of the Caribbean countries.
Having analysed supply and demand in Latin America and the Caribbean, FAO is of the opinion that extra-regional exports could be avoided. For instance, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay, net exporters of wheat, could sell their produce to neighbours such as Mexico, Peru, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador and Guatemala – who currently source this cereal from foreign markets – instead of selling it to far off regions.
In the case of corn, Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay could meet the demand of Mexico, Colombia, Peru, Venezuela, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic just as Uruguay, Argentina, Guyana, Paraguay, and Suriname could supply rice to Mexico, Chile, Peru, Venezuela, Jamaica, Honduras and Nicaragua which currently import this from outside Latin America.
FAO’s document entitled ‘Development of Intraregional Food Trade and Strengthening the Security of the Latin American and Caribbean Food Industry’ goes into detail about how the region has the resources to provide an average 3,000 kcal per capita per day, which is above the global average.
Moreover, it indicates that 15 countries did in fact reach the UN goal of cutting by half the number of victims adversely affected by hunger; as well as pointing out other advances in this direction.
However, despite this favourable progress, the report reiterates that 18 of the region’s 33 countries are currently net importers: in other words they import more produce than they export.
On the subject, FAO’s representative in the region, Raúl Benítez, points out that there could be a change : ‘if the governments decided to encourage intra-regional trade in the food industry, they would not be so affected by the highs and lows of international prices which leave them in a vulnerable position when it comes to feeding their people.’
He adds ‘if they succeed in improving cooperation and strengthening their intra-regional food trade they will be able to have a sizeable impact on the lives of millions of Latin Americans and Caribbeans by ensuring that no woman, man, boy, girl or elderly person goes hungry another day.’
As such he underlined the influence of CELAC, the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, in stimulating intra-regional trade and promoting security in the food industry, above all with its Plan for Security in the Food Industry, Nutrition and the Eradication of Hunger, adopted in 2015 by the CELAC Summit in Costa Rica.
This plan is a regional agreement, unique in its kind, and is boosting the efforts of all nations in achieving the complete eradication of hunger by 2025. Intra-regional trade forms part of its roadmap to zero hunger, explained Benítez.
FAO insists that from 2010 to 2012 the region exported 3.6 times more produce than it imported which means that it could have entirely catered for regional demand allocating the surplus to exports.
Notwithstanding, according to statistics of the World Food Programme the countries in the region with the lowest hunger indexes, below 5%, are Argentina, Cuba, Venezuela, Brazil, Uruguay and Mexico.
FAO also points out that Peru, Paraguay, Ecuador, Colombia, Guyana, Suriname, the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama, Jamaica, Guatemala, El Salvador and Belize have moderately low hunger indexes ranging from 5% to 14.9%; whilst Bolivia and Nicaragua on the other hand suffer moderate rates of malnutrition of 15% and 24.9%.
Just one country, Haiti, has a high malnutrition index: 35% of its population falling prey. This index parallels other notoriously high malnutrition rates such as in Ethiopia, Namibia, Zambia, Malawi, The Central African Republic, Tajikistan and North Korea.
As a result of the initiatives mentioned above, the proportion of those afflicted by hunger in Latin America and the Caribbean fell from 14.7% in 1990-92 to 5.5% in 2014-16 or 34.3 million cases, according to FAO statistics.
‘This success story owes itself to the region’s positive macroeconomic performance over the last two decades and the solid and continued political commitment of its countries to eradicate hunger,’ Benítez pointed out recently.
As a result, Latin America and the Caribbean became the first global region to comply with two international aims of hunger reduction: firstly, the Millennium Development Objectives of 2000; secondly, the World Food Summit of 1996.
Another organisation which is confident of the potential of this geographical area is the Inter-American Development Bank (BID) which confirms that it could become the world food store because of its capacity to feed mankind.
Over the course of the Expo2015 world exhibition in Milan, directors of BID praised the results of Brazil and Argentina which have tripled food yield thanks to the use of technology in farming: carefully managing resources such as water; and creating chains and brands which integrate farming collectively.
Photos: Pixbay
(Translated by Nigel Conibear – DipTrans IoLET ACIL – nigelconibear@gmail.com)