Official: Venezuela oil production reaches three million barrels a day

www.wavy.com Saturday,March15,2003,8:43 PM

Caracas, Venezuela-AP -- Venezuela's state oil monopoly says its crude oil production has topped three (m) million barrels a day. That's the same level that occurred before a crippling national strike.

Oil executives fired for participating in the strike dispute the government figures, saying daily production is at two-point-one (m) million barrels.

Government officials admit work still needs to be done before the industry fully recovers.

The two-month walkout was meant to force President Hugo Chavez to resign or call early elections.

Before the dispute, Venezuela had been the world's fifth-largest oil exporter.