Ranchers fume against government decision to import basic foodstuffs

<a href=www.vheadline.com>Venezuela's Electronic News Posted: Tuesday, May 06, 2003 By: Patrick J. O'Donoghue

Venezuelan ranchers Association (Fedenaga) president, Jose Luis Betancourt has come out fighting against the government's decision to import foodstuffs, paradoxically branding the measure "the height of neoliberalism." 

Betancourt says it's an act of retaliation against domestic producers to give the State greater control and he slams what he calls the discretional character of food distribution. 

"The measure will introduce  a nest of corruption and inefficiency in the sector ... the State does not have the capacity to distribute basic diet foodstuffs to the population."

Rancher Betancourt's forecasts shortages and food queues in the near future as the State system enters into crisis. Fedenaga will continue legal actions against the State. "We will go to the Supreme Tribunal of Justice (TSJ) to argue that the agrarian land deeds the government is handing out are unconstitutional ... we want implementation of the Agricultural Marketing Law that obliges the Venezuelan State to give more support to national production." 

Federation of Agricultural Producers (Fedeagro) president Jose Manuel Gonzalez says government direct sales popular markets (Mercal) is a sign that the government intends to impose a Communist sytem in Venezuela ... "it has absolutely nothing to do with economy."