World production of the tuber has increased by 60 percent since the year 2000.
An agricultural model which respects the environment called "Save and Grow" which is being promoted by the FAO could sustainably increase cassava yields by 400 percent and achieve its transformation from a food for poor people to a XXI century product, said the UN organization today.
In Guatemala, farmers expect an increase of $10 million in imports of chemicals for the agricultural season 2012, which is an increase of 6%.
The expansion of areas under cultivation, particularly for export, and a forecast of a good winter will push demand for agrochemicals (herbicides, pesticides, fungicides and insecticides) up by an additional 6%.
The European Commission (EC) predicts that for the next eight years the prices of agricultural commodities will remain high.
According to a report by the EC, global food demand, the development of the biofuel sector and the a drop in crop production are contributing factors.
"The EC is basing its projections on forecasts by the European Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) made last June," taking into account the latest global economic survey. "
The Outlook for Agriculture and Rural Development in the Americas: A perspective on Latin America and the Caribbean 2011-2012.
ECLAC, FAO and IICA press release:
San Jose, Costa Rica, October 21 (ECLAC/FAO/IICA). Despite the current context of volatility and high food prices, in the long term, the agricultural sector in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) will be able to take advantage of the opportunities afforded by having available land - albeit concentrated in a few countries- a relative abundance of water, biodiversity and well-educated human resources.
The Outlook for Agriculture and Rural Development in the Americas: A perspective on Latin America and the Caribbean 2011-2012.
ECLAC, FAO and IICA press release:
San Jose, Costa Rica, October 21 (ECLAC/FAO/IICA). Despite the current context of volatility and high food prices, in the long term, the agricultural sector in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) will be able to take advantage of the opportunities afforded by having available land - albeit concentrated in a few countries- a relative abundance of water, biodiversity and well-educated human resources.
A regional investigation is underway, triggered by suspicions of anticompetitive practices when commercializing fertilizers.
These anticompetitive practices would have started when importing companies started buying in group, supposedly to lower the price of fertilizers.
The investigation will be conducted by all the countries of Central America, via a consulting service hired by Conadeco, the Central American Council for Consumer Protection.
To deal with the steep rise in the price of basic grains, the governments of Central America are analyzing the possibility of unifying tariffs on agricultural imports.
The request for tariff unification came from the Government of Guatemala. It was placed before the Council of Ministers for Economic Integration, to reduce to zero the tax on several products in the basic consumer basket.