The corn producers asked the Ministry of Agricultural Development (MIDA) and deputies from the agricultural sector to prevent the school snack from being eliminated from the feeding program that the Ministry of Education (MEDUCA) offers to thousands of students in the country, due to the impact it would have. in the harvest and marketing of grain.
Valentín Domínguez, president of the Association of Corn and Sorghum Producers of Los Santos, said in an interview with Radio Panama that they have asked the head of MIDA; Roberto Linares, and deputies who make up the Agricultural Affairs Commission of the Legislative Assembly, who intercede so that the program is not eliminated.
“We have asked the minister to use his good offices and to speak energetically with Minister Lucy Molinar because the consumption of corn, and milk too, is so vital for the health and nutrition of the children of Panama, and for We, the producers, because we have to sell the products,” said Domínguez.
The agricultural producer indicated that the corn and national milk that is used as part of the school snack, which includes the glass of milk, the cookie and the nutritional cream, are of the highest quality to meet the feeding standards required by the program. social of MEDUCA.
“If we have top quality corn and milk, why are we going to ignore that,” Domínguez insisted, adding that the elimination of the program would have an economic impact on other sectors such as companies specialized in producing corn flour that invest in processing plants and the generation of jobs.
Corn producers, concentrated mainly in Azuero, estimate that between 150 to 200 thousand quintals, which represents around 10% of their annual harvest, are destined for the manufacture of food that is part of the school snack provided by MEDUCA in hundreds of schools in the country.
In the case of milk, producers in this sector have estimated that around 12 million liters of milk are consumed each year, which is equivalent to 15% of their production, as part of the glass of milk distributed in schools. .
The school feeding program, created by law in 1995, has the main objective of guaranteeing the physical and mental health of Panamanian students during their development and learning stage.
