Countries should produce the food that their population eats, and import as little as possible. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Import should be avoided wherever possible, and every country should be self-sufficient with regard to the quantity of

food

produced. There are several reasons why I believe

this

should be done. The most important reason is that by eating locally,

food

transport is not needed,

thus

, less petrol is consumed and in turn, the rate of air pollution is significantly reduced. Less pollution means fewer cases of respiratory diseases

such

as asthma and bronchitis and an overall increased sense of well being. Another reason why I am in favour of

this

idea is that by not having to add the shipping cost, the

food

would be much cheaper. Some products nowadays are imported from countries that are tens of thousands of miles away.

For instance

, China coupled with its recent economic boom has started to import Brazilian beef, the distance between China and Brazil is about ten thousand miles. With a simple calculation, it is easy to understand that an important sum could be saved if the Chinese remained to their previous

food

tastes. A final reason is the quality of the

food

. Local produce tends to be of higher quality,

therefore

, tastes better. Crops are sometimes harvested before they ripen.

This

causes a lack of nutrients in the crops because,

since

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the moment the crop is cut from the rest of the plant, it does not receive nutrients anymore.

This

means that a vine of tomatoes,

for example

, can ripen while being transported so that they are ripe while in the sale, which is great for business. In conclusion, I strongly support the idea of countries trying as much as possible to eat only the

food

produced by themselves as

this

would reduce air pollution and would ensure the

food

is cheaper and tastier, compared to imported one.