Lapatilla
The Director of the National Federation of Associations of Cane Growers of Venezuela (Fesoca) and representative of the sugar cane producers in Carabobo and Aragua, Eugenio Rodríguez, stated that the unrestricted importation of sugar, free of tariffs, has put the local producers at great disadvantage.
Feb 7, 2023
He explained that currently some 80,000 tons of sugar manufactured in Venezuela have not been able to leave the warehouses of the country’s sugar mills, because the market shelves are saturated with imported sugar.
“At this point we should have about 8,000 or 9,000 tons of sugar in our warehouses, but it turns out that we have 80,000 tons of sugar in the warehouses of the sugar mills that operate in the country, which are only four, and there is one mill that belongs from the government, which also has retained sugar. We do not understand how they keep importing sugar when the national producer is in full production,” he said.
He explained that the product that is manufactured in the country cannot compete in prices with the imported one, because the national producers do not have the financing to pay for the expenses in foreign currency for spare parts, machinery, fertilizers and other supplies.
He indicated that the producers who harvested between December and January have not been able to get paid for their crop. “When we go to the market to offer our products, it turns out that they cannot buy them, because the shelves are full of imported sugar,” he said.
In this harvest they estimate to grind 3,000,000 tons of sugar cane nationwide, which represents 30% of the national consumption.
“We ask the central government to please stop imports at this time. We can cover the market until May. If we have a sugar deficit, we can bring it in through the sugar mills,” he pointed out.
In 2006, 9,000,000 tons of sugarcane were processed nationwide, supplying almost 90% of the national market needs.
…
…
