00:00In Bolivia, government spokespeople rejected a report from the FAO and the United Nations World Food Program
00:06about the unleashed imminent risk of famine affecting 19% of the country's population.
00:12Our correspondent Freddy Morales brings us the details.
00:15A report from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
00:22and the World Food Program forecasting imminent famine in Bolivia caused discomfort within the government.
00:30We, as the national government, emphatically reject the assertions made in the report and the opinions expressed based on it.
00:36First, efforts have been made to generate uncertainty and anxiety based on the assertion that Bolivia is at risk of famine, which is completely false.
00:44Why? Because the published report on critical points regarding hunger does not show Bolivia at risk of famine.
00:49According to the Bolivian government, the Food and Agriculture Organization report is found with errors.
01:02Such as mentioning that due to the shortage of dollars the country will not be able to import basic foods such as tomatoes, onions, carrots and potatoes.
01:08We do not import any type of products from the family basket that has to do with primary production, so this data is totally erroneous,
01:17and we strongly reject that we are going to have deficiencies in the capacity to import.
01:20We must inform the Food and Agriculture Organization that we do not import products from the basic basket therefore.
01:25It is an erroneous data planned in a negative way to harm government management.
01:28To counter the international report, it was mentioned that the contribution of family farming is important here.
01:39In addition to the fact that this year food production grew by an average of almost 30% compared to last year,
01:45and 12 state programs supporting food production and irrigation are currently in place.
01:49We want to tell the Food and Agriculture Organization that we are producers by vacation, and we will never die of hunger.
01:58The data show clearly so that we can expose to the Bolivian people and there will be no doubt that the government is working in the productive sector.
02:08At the end of the day, United Nations officials in Bolivia visited the foreign ministry to clarify that the report on the imminent risk of famine
02:17included 13 countries, not including Bolivia.
02:26The report does not mention or warn about a famine situation in Bolivia.
02:38It should be noted that famine is a technical term with specific criteria such as the proportion of the population with extreme hunger,
02:44child-westing and mortality rates, criteria that do not apply in the Bolivian case,
02:48criteria that do not apply in the Bolivian case.
02:53According to official data, food production has risen this year despite problems such as road blockades and others.
03:02To the point that producers themselves are requesting authorization to increase their exports of soy, beef, milk, organ meats, chaya, and sorghum.
03:09It is claimed that there is sufficient production, but it has been admitted that the constant rise in prices is reducing consumption by part of the population.
03:16Reduce el consumo de parte de la población.
03:19Freddy Morales, Telesur, Bolivia.
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