Paraguay is preparing to implement a food loss measurement (FLD) pilot focused on four strategic agri-food chains: tomato, onion, banana and cassava. This was reported by the National Institute of Statistics (INE) after a recent meeting with representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
During the meeting, the sampling framework developed by CECOPROA/MAG was analyzed, which covers 50 committees and 1,544 producers, with special attention to the departments of San Pedro, Caaguazú, Central and Cordillera, selected for their productive relevance. The pilot plan includes the training of technicians from the Directorate of Agrarian Extension (DEAg) of the MAG and direct visits to the producer committees, ensuring close contact with the actors in the sector.
As part of the coordinated work between the INE and the FAO, preliminary forms were presented to collect information on food losses in the different links of the chains: from the farm to transportation and marketing markets. Attendees agreed on the importance of conducting in-person surveys, both for the greater reliability of the data and for the opportunity to interact directly with producers.
Likewise, issues such as available resources and execution deadlines were addressed. It was agreed to schedule a next meeting with the MAG to define the details of the pilot operation in the prioritized departments, with a view to its implementation during the second week of November.
The INE, through its Directorate of Economic and Environmental Statistics (DEEA), will present a work schedule and a budget distribution proposal. At the same time, progress will be made in updating the contact information of the producers and in the review of the draft forms, as well as the terms of reference for the technical profiles that will participate in the operation.
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