Source: Amy Sowder, THE PACKER, 7/12/21


At first, these eyebrow-raising statistics below appear to have nothing to do with the U.S. fresh produce industry.
• 2,000%: That’s the increase in the number of Venezuelans seeking asylum worldwide;
• 650,000: The number of Venezuelans filing asylum claims, and about 2 million have obtained resident permits to stay in the Americas; and
• 12%: Percentage of the population fleeing the country; about 5,000 people leave per day — comparable to the Syrian refugee crisis. 
So, what do these United Nations Refugee Agency statistics this have to do with our business? Our industry can help, and it doesn’t require donating money or time, said Nick O’Flaherty director of UNSTUCK, a new initiative to create job opportunities for refugees through global supply chains.

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