Yemeni farmers are proposing to restrict food imports into the country if local farmers are capable of producing similar products.
The National Union of Agricultural Cooperatives of Yemen has harshly criticized the practice of importing certain types of food products into the country even though local farmers are capable of producing the same products.
The union proposes classifying such actions as an economic crime, as they seriously undermine the country’s food sovereignty and largely negate the efforts of local farmers to strengthen their farms and ensure food supplies.
According to the union’s representatives, local produce is the foundation of the national economy.
Any actions aimed at circumventing import substitution policies or introducing foreign goods into circulation when domestic equivalents are available should be classified as a crime.
Experts estimate that the situation is particularly acute during the peak harvest season, when the influx of inexpensive foreign goods simply devalues the produce of local farmers.
Today, Yemeni farmers, forced to spend significant amounts of money on fuel for irrigation systems and mineral fertilizers, are losing out to foreign suppliers in price competition.
The result is the inevitable mass bankruptcy of small farms. This could have been avoided if the government had stood up for domestic producers and banned the import of foreign equivalents of products already produced domestically.
Currently, an industry union is pushing for seasonal restrictions on the supply of certain types of fruits and vegetables—exclusively during the periods when similar produce is ripening domestically.
According to experts, the problem is critical: for example, importing onions or potatoes during the peak of Yemen’s harvest season renders farmers’ labor completely pointless.
It even gets to the point where farmers sometimes prefer not to harvest their crops at all, as selling them at prices below cost simply doesn’t make economic sense.
The National Union of Agricultural Cooperatives calls on government agencies to take a responsible approach and protect domestic producers.
Experts believe that a ban on importing products similar to those produced by Yemeni farmers could significantly improve the situation for local farmers.
