A Day of Tears After Chavez Death in Venezuela

[Catherina]

6. I find that misleading about the food imports

According to the World Bank, food imports were at 15.47% in 2010. I don't think that's a high figure. They seem to have gone up and down quite a bit in Venezuela over the last 3 decades. In 1983, they were at 21%.



The US imports http://www.tradingeconomics.com/united-states/food-imports-percent-of-merchandise-imports-wb-data.html&sa=U&ei=suk8UeSkKMKC2AW8_oEQ&ved=0CCIQFjAA&usg=AFQjCNHpNPGF2ZSujvxbKvMXudYNNqAxUA" target="_blank">4.97%.

France http://www.tradingeconomics.com/france/food-imports-percent-of-merchandise-imports-wb-data.html&sa=U&ei=bOo8UZCEE8je2AXX8oHYDg&ved=0CB8QFjAA&usg=AFQjCNHAAaC_8HvcTBuUjzngrugbwvnKsw" target="_blank">8.49%.

Saudi Arabia imports 15.72%

Jordan 16.23 %

Spain 10.4 %

Denmark 13.5 %

See here for other countries http://www.tradingeconomics.com/venezuela/food-imports-percent-of-merchandise-imports-wb-data.html


But really, what should we care about food import figures? To me the important is that people are fed and more people than ever are eating in Venezuela and eating well. I don't see where these numbers mean much unless you're out to manipulate a country's economics as the World Bank constantly does. Bloomberg, the Economist and other rightwing organs love to harp about the food import numbers for Venezuela Food Shortages in Venezuela Bigger Worry Than Constitution

Who cares? Are the people eating? Come down here to Guatemala, where the food import numbers are lower than Venezuela's but malnourishment is obscene as the general population lives on tortillas and beans but that's ok I guess.

Let's flip the charts. Let's examine Oil imports and start pointing fingers at the US to *prove* how it can't manage itself. That picture's a lot grimmer no?

Social parameters

The country has also cut food imports from 90 per cent to 30 per cent of its consumption, and has reduced child malnutrition from 7.7 per cent in 1990 to 5 today; infant mortality has declined from 25/1000 to 13 in the same period, and the country now has 58 doctors per 10,000 people (as against 18 in 1996). As many as 96 per cent of the population now have access to clean water, and with school attendance at 85 per cent, one in three Venezuelans is enrolled in free education up to and including university.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/world/hugo-chvez-death-of-a-socialist/article4481169.ece