The president of Paraguay stated that the pandemic hit South America hardest because it was poorly integrated into the global scenario.
He the president of Paraguay, Santiago Penacalled on the partner countries of the Mercosur to a “mea culpa” to admit the lack of integration in the world, a problem that, he understands, was very noticeable in the pandemicwhere South America It was one of the hardest hit regions globally.
This Tuesday, within the framework of the opening of the XL Session of the Specialized Meeting on Family Agriculture (REAF) of Mercosur which took place in Assumptionthe Paraguayan president pointed out that the crisis of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020-2021, although it hit the entire world, the region that hit the most was Latin America.
“We were the region that fell the most, and the explanation is very simple: external shocks affect countries that are less integrated more and South America is one of the regions in the world that is less integrated,” he emphasized in this regard.
In that sense, Peña considered that these types of spaces offer the opportunity to make countries “strong.” “Let’s look not only at our non-tariff barriers, but also at our physical barriers,” said the head of state.
Infrastructure development as a market democratizer
Likewise, he pointed out that infrastructure “plays a fundamental role” for the small producer and not so much for the businessman, who “has access to the markets” and “economies of scale.”
Along these lines, Peña explained that for small producers to be able to sell their surplus production in neighboring countries, a strong investment in infrastructure, since there are often no bridges or border crossings in conditions to carry out shipments.
The general director of the Ministry of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries (MGAP), Fernanda Maldonadowho participated in the meeting as coordinator of the Uruguay before the REAF, he indicated that the great challenge facing family farming is its “development”, but “taking into account the aspects related to climate change.”
Source: Ambito
