Parliament approves law to guarantee food security in Panama

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Parliament approves law to guarantee food security in Panama

Fri, 04/27/2018 - 12:04

The National Assembly (AN) of Panama approved today in the third and final debate a law that promotes the establishment of policies, strategies, plans, programs, projects and actions to guarantee food security.

This is bill 628, introduced by the president of the Assembly, Deputy Yanibel Ábrego, of the opposition Cambio Democrático party (CD), the second parliamentary force with 25 out of the 71 seats in the Legislative.

Ábrego said that in the creation of the bill eight guilds of producers participated and asked the president of the country, Juan Carlos Varela, to pass the bill so that it can be published in the official gazette and enter into force.

The deputy assured that the law creates "the guidelines for the construction of a long-term policy, necessary to guarantee the stability of investments and producers in the agricultural sector."

"A country grows and progresses when it complies with and produces its own food," added Ábrego, who spoke in favor of reducing dependence on imports of agricultural products and spoke of "providing the opportunity to the Panamanian producer who has been forgotten for years by the governments in office".

The Assembly reported that with the approval of bill 628 "a legal framework is established for the promotion, commercialization and export of agricultural items, in addition to financing and investment, which should be classified as a State policy".

This legislation "should be reviewed every eight years, taking into account the changes suffered by the agricultural sector in terms of new techniques and cultivation technology."

It also provides food security to the population to generate economic, environmental and social opportunities and benefits for rural communities and families, producers, as well as consumers exercising agricultural sovereignty", among others.

The Assembly already reported last March that in Panama 9 percent of the population is undernourished, 19 percent of indigenous children suffer from malnutrition, and 52.5 percent of children under 5 suffer from anemia.

It also noted that the data from the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) show that in Panama one million people or 25.8 percent of the total population lives in total poverty, while 11.1 percent of Panamanians are in extreme poverty, while in indigenous areas, almost all of its inhabitants are poor.

 

http://www.panamatoday.com/panama/parliament-approves-law-guarantee-food-security-panama-6735

[Keith Woolford]

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