Hey Hugo!!!

How does that crow taste?

http://www.iht.com/articles/2009/01/15/america/15venez.php

Editorial from El Universal today, A Caracas newspaper;

http://english.eluniversal.com/2009/01/13/en_opi_esp_no-excuses_13A2190889.shtml

Texass:

Encuentro el universal muy parcializado.. cuando se esta parcializado es difiicil digerir la informacion que se lee..... es como oir a Limbaugh, Oreiily o Olberman.. is there a more neutral papaer there?

No hay un otro mas nuetral que esto. Es de alli, los duenos son Venezuelanos. Si' tu lees qual quiera periodico que es adentro el pais, todo va esta iqual. Y una otra cosa, no es parcializado, si solomente estaba reportando las noticias. If you only read the government sponsored websites you WILL get a different story. My first question for you is, if you can not trust a local newspaper from inside the country, how can you trust what the government websites say. Or in other words, do you explicitly trust what Leonel Fernandez says about the state of the DR or do you think otherwise based upon the news that you read on Dominican today. They only report what the news is, or do you think this e-newspaper is biased as well.

http://www.onlinenewspapers.com/venezuel.htm

The above is an online resource for newspapers in Venezuela-Take your pick. El Universal, El Nacional and El Tiempo are the only ones who update on a regular basis throughout the day.

Below are follow ups to the point that AnthonyC raised concerning the economy of Venezuela and the impact it may have on the DR concerning Petrocaribe. Having worked considerable time with a company that supported the oil industry (25 years) and having worked in Venezuela for over 6 of them this is a relevant issue. PDVSA does not generate any profit from inside Venezuela as gasoline and diesel are extremely subsidized, gasoline is 14 cents a gallon. Their income is from Citgo which is a wholly owned subsidiary with refining operations in the US and Europe. Products made at those refineries are sold on the world market at prevailing prices. In 2008 when the Venezuelan budget for 2009 was formulated it was based on the price of crude being at least $60 per barrel, today it is at $35.40. Being a state owned company, PDVSA IS the economic driver of Venezuela and their profits ARE what pays for the social programs that Chavez carries out within his country and elsewhere including the structured sales of crude under Petrocaribe to its' member nations, the supply of subsidized food for sale at the MERCALs etc.. Under the current pricing the continuing "revolution" will slow down and come to a stop in the near furture. The following news from the industry e-publication that are neither left or right in political leanings and they quote both sources from within the government (PDVSA) and OPEC.

http://www.rigzone.com/news/article.asp?a_id=71722

http://www.rigzone.com/news/article.asp?a_id=71765

Venez current account quite strong,
http://www.latin-focus.com/statetrust/countries/venezuela/venbop.htm
Other items that are imported are reducing in price - e.g. fertilizer, wood, machinery.
Cuban doctors are probably not very expensive.
S.

ABC,

You could at least quote something that is not 2 years old. Also in your graph it shows that the Capitol and finiancial account is actually in the RED or at a net loss and has been since March of 2002. On one of my posts in this thread, I posted and interview with the Banco de Venezuela President who also concurred that if the price of oil does not make a dramatic climb in the near furture (2 -3 months) and severe austerity program will be forced upon the Chavez Government. If the Situation is so good economically as you are alluding to Why is the government (PDVSA & Chavez) soliciting foreign firms to enter back into the domestic production market thereby infusing cash into the local economy. Nineteen firms have expressed interest in the process and have each paid the 2 million dollar fee to obtain the documentation and be allowed to bid. As far as fertilizer importation goes, in the Complejo Criogenico Jose Anzoategui outside of Barcelona, there is a massive fertilizer manufacturing complex called Fertinitro and was built by ENI and produces ammonia based fertilizer products for domestic use as well as export, no importation of fertilizer. Wood importation in Venezuela is non existant, building styles are similar to DR, Colombia, Brazil etc. Almost ALL construction is block with stucco covering, including the poor and destitute who start with tin sheets and advance to block construction. There are strong indications that Venezuela is set to become a net EXPORTER of wood products such as Brazil and Guyana if they can get the cooperation of the government to ease export licensing requirements. They assemble cars in Venezuela but import almost all heavy construction equipment as well as farm machinery. WIth the devaluation of the Bolivar Fuerte and strict control in foreign currency exchange and average interest rates at 18% I have a hard time believing prices on machinery are falling but would rather be climbing. If food products,(which are procured by the government by PDVSA for MERCAL) have experienced a 56% increase in price during fiscal year 2008, it would stand that imported machinery would have escalated as well.

http://www.fao.org/ES/ESS/yearbook/vol_1_2/pdf/Venezuela.pdf

Incase you missed it, an analysis of the current situation by a Venezuelan Petroleum analyst and former delegate to OPEC representing Venezuela.

http://economia.eluniversal.com/2008/12/31/petro_ava_estiman-que-ingresos_31A2179851.shtml

Venez plans to be food exporter.
http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/news/4102
Venez is exporting coffee to Belarus.
There is great potential to increase rice production.
http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/news/3664
The news seems to be good that Venez can quickly increase production.
Producer prices for many products are decreasing. e.g. finished goods - 1.9%.
http://www.bls.gov/ppi/home.htm
Venez is setting up urban gardens.
A beautiful photo essay from the BBC shows us how urban gardening is taking root in Caracas, Venezuela. The 1.2-acre Bolivar Garden in the heart of Caracas models itself after similar garden projects in Cuba. Six farmers work the plot and live nearby. They use organic techniques and make use of vermiculture to enrich the soil. It's a year-round operation, the yield from which can be purchased from a stall on the edge of the farm at below-market prices. The goal of the Bolivar farm is not only to provide fresh, nutritious food at low prices, but like Dervaes' produce profusion, to serve as a model for locals who might try growing a few things themselves.

http://www.worldchanging.com/archives/005961.html


S.

HAHAHAHAHAHAAHAH LMAO, HAHAHAHAHAHA, WHOOOOO

Where do yo get that.

Today as we speak, you CAN NOT buy coffee in Puerto La Cruz

They can plan all they want --TO WANT TO BE and to ACTUALLY DO are two completely different animals. If they are currently IMPORTING 80% of all products consumed HOW DO YOU EXPLAIN EXPORTING FOOD. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA, whaaaaaaahhhhh, hhooooooooo LMAO more HAHAHAHAHA. What a nimrod.

I have actually been to that garden it is in a vacant construction site behind what was once the Caracas Hilton and now the Hotel Alba, what you fail to mention and what the article fails to mention is that without that garden the local folks would not be able to have the items that they are growing.

Post from one week ago, from me.

According to official statistics, the national monthly consumption of margarine is about 130,000 tons while the consumption of edible oil is 235,000 tons. In fact, Venezuela imports currently 90 percent of the raw material the domestic processing industry needs to meet local demand, while the increase of soybean and sunflower production has not curbed the dependence on imports.

According to the Annual Report and Accounts of the Ministry of Food, in 2007 the authorities issued licenses to import 279,000 tons of oil seeds, 275,000 tons of soybean meal and 107,000 tons of yellow fat. The Corporation of Food Supply and Agricultural Services (CASA) imported for the Food Market Program (Mercal) 23,150 tons of margarine and 39,000 tons of processed soybean oil.

However, despite Chávez's wishes, the Ministry of Food reported that in 2007 it issued only one export license, for the equivalent of 20 kilos of sunflower oil.

Meager production figures
Since 1998, the production of items such as sesame oil, sunflower oil, palm oil, soybean oil or peanuts does not meet the needs of the Venezuelan market. According to data released by the Ministry of Agriculture and Land, provided by the Federation of Agricultural Associations (Fedeagro), in 1998-2007, the production of sesame oil fell from 27,300 tons to 17,000 tons (down 37.6 percent); whereas the production of palm oil dropped from 338,700 tons to 327,700 (down 3.2 percent).

In the same period, soybean production increased significantly from 5,680 tons to 60,180 tons (959 percent) while the production of sunflower grew from 5,600 tons to 15,500 tons (176 percent), but their growth came only in 2006-2007.

The first paragraph states that while production has incresed, the still import 90% of all goods needed to process for consumption, some progress an increse of 176% yet they still import 90%


BTW, How on earth can you quote Bureau of Labor statistics from the US in relation to the Producer Price Index (PPI) in Venezuela. Stop ABC, My side hurts HAHAHAHAHAHAHA