Imports of food have grown 240.26% in 12 years.
Fedeagro says more than 70% of farm products consumed in Venezuela are imported. Katie
THE NATIONAL
Last year, the country spent 427.90 billion in imports of beef, rice, sugar, oil, corn, wheat and beans from the U.S..
The Bolivarian revolution has been based on import food security, not strengthening domestic production. The most notorious example is the 130,000 tons of spoiled food, which were acquired Bariven abroad by a subsidiary of Petroleos de Venezuela, to be marketed by the official network Pdval. Fedeagro calculations reveal that over 70% of the agricultural and livestock products consumed in Venezuela are produced in other countries. In other words, the port economy underpins the strategic food reserve. 1.7 billion dollars in foreign buying agriculture products and livestock in 1998, the country began to import 5.99 billion dollars at the end of 2009, an increase of 240.26% in 12 years.The record in imports was recorded in 2008 when it spent 7.47 billion dollars in the purchase of basic items as beef, rice, sugar, oil, corn, wheat and beans, among others. In Fedeagro report states that last year the purchases were higher because international prices fell some agricultural commodities, which spurred the increase in tonnage. They warn that in per capita terms in 1998 were bought abroad an average of $ 76 per person per year, in 2009 this figure rose to $ 258 per person. In the nineties, foreign acquisitions of agricultural items represented 10% of total imports, and between 2008 and 2009 that share rose to 16%. Fedeagro notes that from 2003 there volumes of imports in livestock items as cattle, chicken, beef carcass and milk. This increase is related to the intervention policy of dairy farms that passed from private hands to the Government. ImperiosContrario purchases from socialist discourse, the balance of Venezuela's imports by country of origin records that most cereals are purchased abroad, such as wheat and yellow maize (for animal feed production) comes from states together. Last year, Venezuela spent $ 427.90 billion in imports of these items from this nation. Even Pdval, government food marketer, imported in 2008, rice and oil companies such as Cal Western Packaging Corporation Co., which is headquartered in Houston, Texas, and Gulf Pacific, a major rice-growing firms with plants in Arkansas and Texas. Brazil, a political ally, also has a high turnover of Venezuela's food imports. Fedeagro The report notes that in 2009 the live animal purchases totaled 459.13 million dollars, of which 444.21 million were paid to producers in Brazil, while Colombia, despite the binational conflict, bought 14.9 billion. In carcasses and other, imports totaled U.S. $ 924.94 million, and Brazil and Colombia are the main sellers. Dairy purchases totaled U.S. $ 280.24 million last year, the bill paid to Brazil was the highest at 124.03 million dollars, followed by Uruguay with 76.37 million dollars, Argentina, 44.91 million dollars, Colombia, with 30.59 million, and the United States with 3.8 million. Not to mention that most of the milk is brought mainly powder comes from New Zealand, because there are no spray plants in the country. Sugar imports also come mostly from Brazil, Venezuela nation that last year paid $ 126 million. Fedeagro notes that foreign purchases of meat, milk, cereals, oilseeds, fats and oils, sugar, cereals and prepared foods only African countries, totaling 3.05 billion. The total paid to Brazil is 1.02 billion dollars to Colombia 847 million U.S. dollars and 718.09 million dollars. Figures from the National Institute of Statistics show that despite the political conflict that exists in Colombia and the United States, both led the list of major suppliers of food and agricultural raw materials to Venezuela between 2008 and 2009 import value. In particular, purchases of food and agricultural items to Colombia increased from 146.3 million dollars at the end of 1998 to 1.32 billion dollars in 2008. This trade was a slight decline last year, but still meaning 60% of purchases made by Venezuela to the Andean Community of Nations, with over $ 906 million billed. Business with the United States is higher. Venezuela bought in 1998, an average of 428.15 million dollars in food and raw materials from U.S. suppliers, this figure rose to 1.4 billion in 2008 and ended the year at 1.03 billion. The reduction is because some items such as wheat, corn and fat reported a reduction in international prices. Economic blocs, the total imports agrifood, 2009 which totaled 5.93 billion, 25.51% were made to countries of the Andean Community of Nations, and in this case, Colombia was ranked as the main supplier. Mercosur purchases accounted for 26.82% of imports, with Brazil in the lead, followed by Argentina, 22.46% came from North America, mainly from the U.S., and 25.22% from other countries. MissesCon only World Cup Brazil a commercial mocking that Venezuela was among international awards only beauty queens. In the field of food exports, the country has unfortunately not much to display. The report indicates that procurement Fedeagro of agricultural and food items have been reduced to an annual rate of 15%. In a country which he sold abroad U.S. $ 689.11 million in 1998, now scarcely manage to 90.08 million bill. The structure of the value of food exports has changed in 11 years, say the producers. During this period, "he emphasized Fedeagro-increased participation of foreign sales of alcoholic beverages, fish, crustaceans and cereal preparations, while rice accounted for in 1998, 11% of sales were lost. EstancadaLos production farmers recognize that in 2009 a severe drought ruined the harvest plans of several key items such as corn and rice. However, clarified that the reduction in production is not only due to climatic factors, but also the lack of investment in the field, farm operations and low prices. "The agricultural policy is aimed at strengthening sectoral growth and consolidate the development of domestically produced items, but to change the agrarian structure and weaken the private ownership of land," the document refers Fedeagro presented at its annual meeting. In the past year, including the ministries of Agriculture and Food have been imported over 350,000 tonnes of white maize, rice, about 200,000 tons, 575,000 quintals of coffee green, and calculate the purchase of 800,000 tonnes of sugar to cover the deficit, because domestic production does not cover the demand.
