Temporary price controls, such as those instituted last month in Mexico, will do little to address the critical, long-term shortcomings of food production in Latin America, which require much broader policy strategies, WOLA’s Senior Associate for Rights and Development Vicki Gass said in Inter-American Dialogue’s Latin America Advisor newsletter.
Strategies for a sustainable plan to raise food production should include stronger government investment in the agricultural sector to promote diversification of rural economies and improve access to local and regional markets, said Gass. She pointed out that the decline in state investment in agriculture since the 1970s is in part responsible for the current crisis.
In addition, the U.S. government should ensure that future trade agreements include special treatment for Latin American agricultural products and give Latin American governments the flexibility to set protective tariffs for agriculture to guarantee their food security.
To read the full newsletter (which was reprinted in the Latin Business Chronicle), click here .
