By The Star Staff
Popular Democratic Party Senate candidate Ada Álvarez Conde on Wednesday called for urgent policies to strengthen food security and local agriculture to deal with inflation in food and essential services.
Álvarez Conde said the most recent Consumer Price Index report published by the Department of Labor and Human Resources establishes that the cost of food consumed outside the home and household services have registered significant increases, adversely affecting the purchasing power of families in Puerto Rico.
“The constant increase in the prices of food and essential services reflects a reality we cannot ignore,” the candidate said. “Puerto Rico faces a food security crisis that will continue to increase everyone’s cost of living if not addressed seriously and promptly. It is unacceptable that we continue to depend on imports while our agricultural lands are underutilized.”
Álvarez Conde emphasized that the solution to the problem requires a comprehensive approach that includes promoting local agriculture and reducing dependence on imports, increasing production from 15% to 30%. In addition, she suggested providing incentives and resources for farmers, and for citizens to grow their own food in community and school gardens as a tool for food self-sufficiency.
The university professor said it is imperative to reevaluate the subsidies granted to companies that do not contribute to local food production and redirect those funds to agricultural projects that strengthen food security on the island. She said officials must develop a security plan to guarantee the efficient distribution of food and essential supplies, especially in times of crisis such as hurricanes or natural disasters, and support hydroponic agriculture and the fishing industry to diversify and increase food production in Puerto Rico.
“Food security is an economic issue of survival and quality of life for all Puerto Ricans,” Álvarez Conde said. “We have to ensure that there is access to food and that communities are strengthened with sustainable agricultural development. In this way, we create economies that help us minimize the exodus of Puerto Ricans and generate jobs that invite those who have had to leave to return.”
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