Fuel Shortage Causes Food Waste in Venezuela

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – For a country on the brink of poverty, Venezuela is currently wasting a disturbing amount of food. Some 60,000 tons per month, or 13 percent of national consumption, are not being used, primarily due to fuel shortages preventing farmers from collecting and distributing food, according to data from producers and distributors.

About 21 percent of the food produced in the first six months of the year will not be consumed, revealed a study coordinated by Venezuela’s agricultural engineers’ association and the chamber of food producers.

Although the volume is still below the levels in some developed countries, it is an alarming statistic, as the International Crisis Group says Venezuela is on the brink of starvation.

“When we have a complex humanitarian emergency, every ton of food determines whether someone can eat,” said Saul López, who heads the agricultural engineers association.

The Nicolás Maduro regime has faced fuel shortages since March, when a combination of poor refinery management and US sanctions reduced gasoline production and imports to virtually zero. Although exports from Iran have refueled gas stations, the shortage has caused major disruptions in an already fragile food distribution network.

Fuel is still either too scarce or too expensive for farmers to adequately collect and distribute their products, López said.

The situation threatens to exacerbate malnutrition rates. Estimates point to a third of the population suffering food insecurity and in need of help from the World Food Program.

Other challenges – such as quarantines that prevent farmers from reaching the capital and lack of credit to continue producing – prevent food from reaching supermarkets.

Source: Infomoney