MinAlimentación: Government does not wish to end private productive sector

07:18 A.M. Caracas. - The state intervention of the rice processors is not a nationalization nor an expropriation that wishes to end the private productive sector in Venezuela, but a temporary measurement that looks for “the well-being of the majority”, declared the minister of Feeding, Felix Osorio.

“We do not have any type of intention to end the deprived sector, that has the majority of production means. But we are a socialist government and we want to give the greater privilege to the majority”, explained the minister in an interview with the AFP.

Two days after president Hugo Chavez announced the taking of control of the plants rice processors to avoid the shortage, Osorio guaranteed that it is “a preventive” measurement and “weather”, although it remembered to the estatizaciones of strategic sectors like petroleum, the electricity or the telephony, decreed from 2007.

“We are going to place people in the lines of production to verify that rice to price regulated for the town takes place. It is not a nationalization and it is not an expropriation”, reiterated.

From 2003 in the country a control system of prices exists that affects to products of the basic basket like the rice.

Saturday, a plant of the Polar group was taken part because their percentage of production of white rice and rice with flavors, that is sold much more expensive when not being regulated, did not adjust to the norms, explained Osorio.

“They only used half of its capacity of processing. And in the 440 tons of rice that we found packed already, only a 10% were regulated white rice. It is an abuse and a ridicule for the town and the government”, accused.

From Monday at night, this plant, located in the Guárico state, began to produce a 80% of white rice and the rest of rice with flavors and condiments, as it stipulates the government.

Other two processors of rice pertaining to other private groups also were inspected and the registries are going to continue.

“We will remain 90 days watching and later we will retire. If they do not fulfill the norms, there will be fines (...) Other measures, like an expropriation, would be studied if for example the owner decided to close the plant and to stop producing”, alerted.

According to Polestar people in charge, it signs person in charge of 6% of the national production of rice, the intervention will be opposed before justice.

“We do not have anything against the private sector although they touch these fights to us that are strong. I am not against to that they have its right gain, but what Polestar did morally we cannot accept it”, explained Osorio.

The Venezuelan government accuses the deprived sector to handle foods as if they were “merchandise anyone” and to look for his own interests solely. However, Osorio discarded that it is going to have interventions in other factories besides the rice processors.

According to official numbers, the government distributes in his networks of popular markets a 46% of approximately the 45,000 tons of rice that are consumed monthly in Venezuela.

The Executive celebrates that the annual production of rice was of 1.3 million tons in 2008 in front of 700,000 tons of 1998, number refuted by the employer's association, Fedecámaras.

For some industrialists of the sector, in Venezuela it lacks raw material and the system of regulated prices does not allow to support the expenses of production.

But it denies it to Osorio and it accuses the deprived sector to smuggle with foods and to alter the distribution whenever there are electoral challenges so that the citizens blame the government of the shortage.

The minister admits that the inflation in the foods, that 40% in 2008 surpassed, is worrisome, but assures that the speculation and the price of the restaurants are partly “responsible”.

With a national petroleum that does not reach 40 dollars by barrel, Osorio emphasizes that to favor the national production it is “the priority” and stresses that the government “only matters what needs”.

“To recover our field it has been a hard task. Here there were ministers who said that there was to harvest in the oil ports. Our producers are surviving”, concluded.