Word: chavezes
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...powdered milk in order to reduce the demand on liquid milk," says Roger Figueroa, executive director of the Venezuelan Milk Industry Chamber. Such shortages of milk and other food staples have intermittently plagued Venezuela since 2003, when the government imposed price controls. Now, the leftist government of President Hugo Chavez is blaming businesses for the crisis even as economic analysts believe the government's own policies have brought about the debacle...
Spurred to action by the defeat of his constitutional referendum last December, Chavez is tackling the problem aggressively for the first time since he took office nine years ago. He says businesses have been hoarding goods until they can be sold at higher prices. In the last two months, he's created a new food distribution company, increased government controls and made overt threats to private business, including the nation's largest food producer and distributor, Polar...
...monopoly that has been surprised red-handed hoarding needs to face immediate intervention and be taken over by the government," Chavez said during a recent broadcast of his weekly television show, Alo Presidente. And then he pointed the finger: "A clear example is Polar." According to local media reports, the company has undergone more than 70 inspections during the last four months by various government agencies. Polar has denied the accusations, pointing out that it doesn't produce items such as milk, chicken, meat, sugar, coffee and eggs that are regularly absent from supermarket shelves. It does, however, produce...
...Chavez's harangues also have their effect. "Controls of these economic variables can work [to combat inflation]," says Orlando Ochoa, an economist and opposition sympathizer. "However, if you add an aggressive political speech [that threatens] private property... then things become worse, because the private sector becomes reluctant to invest and increase capacity." Indeed, business associations have already expressed concern that recent changes to the Law of Hoarding, Speculation and Boycotting could make it easier for the government to expropriate food-related businesses...
Both analysts and ordinary citizens, however, believe it unlikely that the President now has the mandate to nationalize a giant like Polar. "Chavez wouldn't have the support of a lot of people," says Maria Lozada, 56, from the stand where she sells newspapers in the rundown commercial center of Parque Central. Although she supports Chavez, she voted against his constitutional reforms and believes private enterprise is essential for Venezuela. "Because the other things he's done - like [nationalizing] the telecommunications company - haven't worked well...