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Caribbean-Latin America
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez nationalises rice processing
2009-03-01
VENEZUELAN President Hugo Chavez on Saturday ordered the army to take control of all rice processing plants in the South American nation in a spat over prices.

"I have ordered the immediate intervention in all those sectors of agro-industry, intervention by the revolutionary government," Mr Chavez said before ordering soldiers to take control of rice processing plants.

Major rice processors in Venezuela include privately owned U.S. food giant Cargill and Venezuela's main food company Polar.

Mr Chavez's socialist Government imposes price controls on basic products and frequently accuses private companies of hoarding food.

Mr Chavez, who has nationalised large swathes of the Venezuelan economy, did not explain whether the government intervention would be a temporary measure of a long-term expropriation.

Venezuela grows enough rice for domestic consumption and exports a small amount.
Posted by:tipper

#14  Q: What's the difference between the Chavez and the Obama administrations?
A: A ten year head start.
Posted by: DMFD   2009-03-01 12:50  

#13  Uncle Ben could not be reached for comment.
Posted by: no mo uro   2009-03-01 12:06  

#12  What's Spanish for Kulak?

'peasant' ...
Posted by: Steve White   2009-03-01 10:57  

#11  I see a 5-year plan for rice production in the making. Hilarity and starvation ensues
Posted by: Frank G   2009-03-01 10:52  

#10  What's Spanish for Kulak?

I assume thatany farmer that protests will be sent to the Venezuela equivalent of Siberia; or just shot.
Posted by: AlanC   2009-03-01 10:41  

#9  Hey, it worked so well for Chairman Mao...Venezuela really needs to take a great leap forward into the future...
Posted by: gromky   2009-03-01 09:43  

#8  At least his supporters will have his delicious bolivarian revolution to fill their empty stomachs

And Bolivian coco leafs to chew to keep the mind off the hunger.
Posted by: Procopius2k   2009-03-01 09:20  

#7  Take THAT *#+#! Cargill, you evil, greedy off$hore American company. Barry wills it!
Posted by: Besoeker   2009-03-01 08:27  

#6  Hoogo will take a working system, grind it into failure, and be a huge rice importer in a year or two.

Good thing he's embracing the Chinese then, I suppose.
Posted by: lotp   2009-03-01 08:20  

#5  Everyone (who hasn't left the country) is equally starving*!

*May not apply to those who have the difficult and strenuous job of more and more fixing of the economy!
Posted by: Bright Pebbles   2009-03-01 08:12  

#4  ditto with tipover's comment. Hoogo will take a working system, grind it into failure, and be a huge rice importer in a year or two. At least his supporters will have his delicious bolivarian revolution to fill their empty stomachs
Posted by: Frank G   2009-03-01 08:09  

#3  Maybe he plans to print the currency on rice paper so when it becomes worthless you can still eat it!
Posted by: Bright Pebbles   2009-03-01 07:41  

#2  Ruh oh... didn't see this one. I figured it would be Polar.

Huggy burnt thru about 2 billion during the election.... I fear dollar reserves getting kinda low. PDvSA contractors being slow paid.
Posted by: .5MT   2009-03-01 06:31  

#1  This ought to work about as well as Mugabe's policies in Zimbabwe. From exporter to importer... /s
Posted by: tipover   2009-03-01 02:51  

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