Plantains displace potatoes and lead consumption in Venezuela
According to recent data, plantain consumption exceeds 20 % of sales in Venezuela and has displaced potatoes on the table
Plantains have surpassed sales by between 20 and 30 % in Venezuela, consolidating their position as the best-selling natural carbohydrate and displacing potatoes, according to data from the Foundation for the Improvement of Plantains in Venezuela (Funplaven).
According to the foundation’s president, David Enrique Govea: “In the last 10 years, plantains have surpassed potatoes in sales. That is, while 1,000 kilograms of plantains are sold, around 800 kilograms of potatoes are sold.”
The executive emphasized that this consumption pattern has changed over the last decade, indicating that until 2015, “potatoes held the sales record, selling three times more than plantains,” but the difficulties faced by potato farmers, coupled with smuggling from Colombia, have been key factors in this change.
Fumplaven data shows that the southern Lake Maracaibo region, an area with the highest plantain production, “went from having nearly 40,000 hectares until 2000 to approximately 15,000 hectares today, of which perhaps only 1,500 hectares are managed with the best agricultural practices and cutting-edge technology.” Regarding per capita plantain consumption, Govea placed it between 40 and 50 kilos per year.
M.Pino
Source: bitacoraeconomica
(Reference image source: José Casado on Unsplash)
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