The Argentinean Techint group that has major shares in eastern Venezuela's Sidor steel company has revealed that it had no formal notification about the government's decision to nationalize the company. The announcement to nationalize was made last night by Executive Vice President Ramon Carrizalez. According to a company statement, the information has been passed on to the Buenos Aires stock exchange and the Argentinean securities & exchange commission (SEC). The company is believed to be waiting for an approach from the government after Carrizalez announced the setting up of a negotiating committee and the company has called on the government to reconsider its intention to nationalize. There is concern from some quarters about Venezuela's capacity to meet compensation claims from recovered cement, oil and now steel industries.
Federation of Commerce & Industry (Fedecamaras) president, Jose Manuel Gonzalez has reacted to form, calling the government's decision to nationalize the Sidor steel Co. nothing more than State capitalism, which leaves a "very bad image of Venezuela on international markets." Gonzalez says he fears that the strategy of trade unions supporting the government demanding nationalization will set a trend and generate similar conflicts in successful private companies throughout Venezuela. Reiterating the opposition's claim that there is little private investment in Venezuela and no new employment, Fedecamaras insists that money is being spent on private companies that are solvent, successful and efficient. "President Chavez' incendiary vocabulary and nationalizations are frightening off foreign capital."
President Chavez has signed a decree promulgating the National Police Law. On a national TV and radio broadcast, the President has outlined the new police work in preventing and educating against crime, adding that the old repressive measures must change. Preventive communal action and education are featured in the new law and Chavez hammers home the fact that the police must base their crime-fighting action on social intelligence, not repression. During the broadcast, the President called on state officials and members of the different state powers to remain firm and to strengthen institutionality. The opposition is showing signs of desperation, Chavez claims, because they are returning to the tactic of attacking institutionality. "We have seen over the last few days headlines taking up in a perverse manner the investigation into the terrible assassination and terrorist act against a brave state prosecutor, Daniel Anderson." Chavez ventures that the attack is probably being encouraged by the same people who ordered Anderson's killing and he gives his full support as head of state to State institutions and to former Attorney General Isaias Rodriguez. The new law is expected to usher in the exit or retirement of many corrupt police officers after a year of intense surveillance and investigation by special internal units.
Agriculture & Lands Minister Elias Jaua says the government has spent more than $70 million purchasing machinery and equipment in its latest effort to boost agricultural production. Speaking from the western Venezuelan port of Puerto Cabello, the Minister points out that the purchases are the result of oil agreements with Brazil, Argentina and China. Brazil is supplying equipment for maize and soya oil plants as well as for a plant of balanced foods. The Argentineans have supplied 60 maize and sorghum harvesters and 20 tractors, while China has provided food-processing equipment and fruit-pulp and vegetable conservation machinery. Inspecting the arrival of machinery and parts, Jaua states that Venezuela is also receiving electrical plants, milking sets and solar panels. All the machinery and equipment, the Minister reports, will go to State companies. Earlier this year, the Venezuelan Agrarian Corporation (CVA) set up a special unit to take care of imported machinery once it arrives at a Venezuelan port to avoid sabotage, ensure safe delivery of the products and monitor progress during initial use.
At a national inspection into coffee-producing and storage establishments, the government says there is enough supply of coffee in Venezuela for seven months, sufficient until the new harvest season starts. A special group set up by the Agriculture & Lands Ministry, Communal Economy Ministry, the national institute of statistics (INE), the Che Guevara Mission and the special coffee program situational room undertook an inspection from March 14-20 of 125 coffee-toasting plants and 43 deposit/storage areas to check the amount of coffee in real terms. The group also found that although they did not investigate the sector as such, there is plenty of coffee among retailers. Furthermore, the report states, 200,000 measures of green coffee are being processed by the Venezuelan Agrarian Corporation-Coffee (CVA-Cafe) and Cafe Venezuela. By the end of April, the group will be able to establish how much strategic reserves of coffee are available and give the green light to exports of around 60,000 measures to Europe, North America and Belarus.
Patrick J. O'Donoghue
patrick.vheadline@gmail.com
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