Notes on the Agricultural Economies of the 20 Latin American Republics

Excerpts from the report Introduction: Agriculture is the dominant activity in the 20 Republics of Latin America despite substantial development of minerals and industry. Nearly 60 percent of their 198 million people live in rural areas. Farm production provides one-fourth of the total gross national product. Except in Chile and Venezuela, its share exceeds that of any other economic activity; and except in those countries and Bolivia, one or a few agricultural exports provide most of the foreign exchange needed to import industrial and consumer goods essential to economic development. Corn is the predominant crop, found wherever it can be grown for food in most of the 20 Republics. Pulses, potatoes, mandioca (cassava), and plantains are widely grown as subsistence crops. Other cereals and oilseeds are important in temperate areas, particularly Argentina and Uruguay. Except in these two countries, per capita production of meat and animal products is low even though the region has nearly 20 percent of the world's cattle population. Better lands are often devoted to commercial production of coffee, bananas, sugarcane, cotton, and cacao.