Business leaders tired of taking the blame for Venezuela's soaring inflation are chiding government officials for encouraging consumers to help fight rising food prices by haggling with retailers. Representatives of Venezuela's leading business chambers accused the administration of President Hugo Chavez on Wednesday of misleading consumers by suggesting that annual inflation in Caracas has climbed to 32.2 percent because shopkeepers are speculating with prices. 'The government has taken a series of measures that have made commerce more expensive,' said Nelson Maldonado, president of the Consecomercio business chamber. Maldonado blamed the government for increasingly high prices, saying Chavez has scared off private investment in agriculture with his repeated threats to seize control of partially productive farms while gradually increasing government imports. Maldonado criticized Agriculture Minister Elias Jaua for encouraging Venezuelans this week to haggle with retailers and even boycott businesses that sell products _ particularly scarce foods _ above regulated prices.
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