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| Index
> Potatoes for your Rolex |
| Potatoes for your
Rolex... |
| Published 4:51 p.m. CT, February 9th,
2019
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| A recent study by three leading Caracas
Universities found that 76 percent of Venezuelans are now under the poverty line. |
| "The Independent" reported
that the economic crisis Venezuela finds itself in is that a single large serving of McDonald's french fries would set you back $133. |
| In Venezuela, potato production fell by 71% in the first quarter
of 2018 as a result of a lack of seeds and fertilizers. In the first 3 months of 2018, the number of hectares planted did not reach 3,500 hectares in the whole country, a tiny amount compared to the same period last year. Potato producers planted 12,000 hectares between January and March 2017. This means there has been a 71% drop in the hectares planted. |
| Consequently, potatoes are like gold
in Venezuela, but you can eat them. That is why a a small potato farmer
is making a killing. |
| In western Venezuela, lies a small
potato farm, until recently the family working the farm struggled to
exist, at the time of this writing, the family has become attractively
wealthy. Their method is simple, bartering their food product for
jewelry and watches, expensive watches. The watches are shipped to Los Angeles
to a family member, where they are then sold to a high end watch
re-manufacturer, and then placed into the retail sector. The gold jewelry
is melted down into ingots. |
| That is how dire the population of Venezuela
is for a decent meal, potatoes for your Rolex. |
| The northern extensions of the Andes in western Venezuela are home to some 20 species of wild potato and account for most of the country's potato production. In subsistence farming areas between 2,000 and 2,500
meters, the potato is the main cultivated crop, while commercial production is concentrated in hilly areas of the state of Lara. |
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| Sources:
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| https://www.potatopro.com/venezuela/potato-statistics
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| https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/mcdonalds-french-fries-cost-133-in-venezuela-a6724466.html
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| https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/as-hunger-mounts-venezuelans-turn-to-trash-for-food/2016/06/09/
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| https://www.freshplaza.com/article/2192193/venezuela-potato-production-fell-by-71-in-the-first-quarter/
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