On 5/17/07, michael a. lebowitz <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
At 22:37 17/05/2007, you wrote:
<http://www.fas.usda.gov/pecad/highlights/2005/07/July2005/Venezuela_Jul05.htm>
Venezuela: Agricultural Overview
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Wheat
According to the U.S. Agricultural Attache, wheat production in
Venezuela is negligible. The little wheat produced in the Venezuelan
Andean region is milled and consumed close to where it is harvested.
The lack of "temperate" climatic conditions and suitable land for
planting the crop are the main reasons for limited production. Though
it produces virtually no wheat, Venezuelans consume large quantities
of bread, crackers, pastries and pasta. Despite the current economic
recession in Venezuela, wheat consumption has remained strong since
pasta and bread are low-cost basic staples of the Venezuelan diet and
constitutes much of the diet of poorer Venezuelans. The consumption
of pasta has grown in the past 5 years, as low-income households began
to substitute it for meat in their diet due to falling disposable
incomes.
huh?
The USDA stats mainly come out of the data through 2004, and based on
what Mark Weisbrot, et al. have to say about the poverty trends in
Venezuela (which I had posted to PEN-l at
<http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/msg23077.html>),
which shows that It's only in 2005 when Venezuela managed to get back
out of the hole created by the opposition's sabotage and come back to
the 1999 level (when Chavez assumed presidency), I doubt the USDA is
making the stats up.
--
Yoshie
