it is sometimes said that countries should produce all the food for their populations to eat and import as little as possible

It is a common belief that providing all food for their citizen and reducing imports as much as possible is the responsibility of authorities. While I acknowledge the benefit of this approach, I still disagree that all food must be produced by countries. It is true that there are some benefits of countries can produce most of the food for their citizen. To begin with, when countries can adapt to most of the demand of citizens, it may lead to a decrease in the prices of some products which are manufactured in their country instead of import from foreign countries. However, this is not a significant advantage because it is only true in a few cases. there are a lot of plants or animals which are produced efficiently in some particular areas, for instance, wet rice is just planted in Asian countries or Brazil where there are many rivers, lakes that can supply water resources for its growth. Nevertheless, I would like to argue that governments should balance between production and importation for some reasons relating diversity of products and development of the local farm. Chief among these is that importing products such as fruits, meats, and toxic or exotic goods. it is one of the most effective ways to increase the variety of goods in domestic markets and it adapts to citizen's demands. The second reason is that this importation may help local brand improve their product because many foreign products mean that domestic markets will be really competitive that will force local manufacturers to improve their production practices to compete with others. In conclusion, although acknowledging the good side of countries should produce all product to adapt their population's demand, I still hold a belief that national authorities should consider balancing between production and importation.