The Bolivian government plans to invest 40 million dollars supporting small and medium farmers in local food production, to make the country the sole producer of its own food by 2020. According to the Public Institute for Food Sovereignty, or Ipdsa, the investment will ensure the nation's food sovereignty.
Director of Ipdsa, Hilarion Callisaya, announced Friday 25 March that food production increased last year by 25 percent from 2014, while this year the goal is to repeat this growth.
The mission, according to Ipdsa, is to ensure that the country does not import any more food by 2020 and that the Andean-Amazon nation is the total and only producer of its own food.
Callisaya explained that for this plan to work, Ipdsa will promote small and medium sized farmers by facilitating the acquisition of technological equipment and the provision of seeds, in order to lower production costs and increase the yield per hectare.
Deputy Minister of Rural Development and Agriculture, Marisol Solano, reported that over 20 projects have already been implemented across the country in order to ensure food security and sovereignty.
These plans include providing support for breeding small ruminants, and strengthening the production of potatoes, tomatoes, wheat, vegetables, fruits, coffee, cocoa and fish farming.
