Food Crisis in Central
America
The rising costs of food
is creating a crisis
situation in Central
America, which has 7.5
million undernourished
people, informed the
United Nations Food and
Agriculture
Organization.
According to FAO
representative for Latin
America and the
Caribbean, Jose Graziano,
the rising costs of
cereals, milk and grains
could last five years as
a result of demands by
China and India as well
as financial
speculation.
He warned that countries
such as Guatemala,
Nicaragua and El
Salvador will observe an
increase of hunger due
to insufficient food
production after the
effects of hurricanes
and droughts.
This situation allows
Brazil, Argentina and
Chile, main agricultural
product exporters in
Latin America, to raise
production strategically
estimated at 122 billion
dollars a year.
For Graziano, the
unbalanced distribution
of benefits, mostly
controlled by
intermediaries,
constitutes another
factor that affects an
increase of hunger in
the region where 30
percent of the rural
population is
impoverished.
The official added that
raising the production
of food products
presupposes an enormous
challenge for Central
America that will
require investments in
research and production,
reconversion and active
governmental policies. |
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