FAO highlights Venezuela’s food supply chain amid pandemic
A report titled “Food Security amid COVID-19 pandemic” created by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), at the request of Mexico’s Presidency Pro-Tempore of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, highlights recommendations to face the crisis causes by the outbreak of novel coronavirus.
“Governments must declare food and agriculture as strategic activities of national public interest, and they must have the support of all government agencies and the population. Keeping the food system alive is essential so that the health crisis does not become a food crisis,” explained Julio Berdegue, Regional Representative of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
The annexes of the report include model measures and policies in the region for specific risks. Under the heading ·”Disruptions in food supply chains,” Venezuela stands out as a good model as the “Superintendency of Agrofood Management has designed a Contingency Plan to guarantee operations of the Comprehensive Agrofood System during quarantine.”
In this context, the report adds that in Venezuela “they have put into practice a set of actions to keep the supply rate of the 12 prioritized items that are part of the basic food basket, thus guaranteeing stock in the food supply chain.”
Recommendations
The FAO report recommends that Celac reactivate its Food and Nutrition Security Plan, adapting it to the new circumstances, strengthen political agreements to boost food trade between the countries of the region.
According to FAO, Latin America, the Caribbean and international markets have sufficient reserves to adequately feed their inhabitants in the coming months. The report points out that the main short-term challenge is to guarantee access to food for the population that is complying with health safety measures, especially those who have lost their source of income.
To address the reduced ability to purchase food, FAO recommends strengthening nutritional support programs for mothers of childbearing age and children under five years of age, ensuring school meals, expanding social protection programs and promoting healthy eating habits.
To guarantee the food supply, FAO recommends facilitating transportation and economic access to agricultural inputs (seeds, fertilizers, feed, machinery, etc.), machinery and infrastructure.
Likewise, in order to guarantee basic food remains available, the report suggests it is key to maintain farming, with special attention given to small-scale farmers without excluding larger-scale operations.
Furthermore, the report recommends supporting the transportation, processing and packaging of agricultural and fishery products, resolving the logistical problems of the food value chains, and guaranteeing the operation of retail outlets, markets and supermarkets.
The report published by FAO for the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States highlights the importance of trade and fiscal policies that keep world trade open in order to avoid changes in domestic prices or reductions in the food supply.
Finally, FAO urges the countries of the region to decide on its post-COVID-19 strategies as soon as possible in order to return to a path of sustainable and inclusive growth.