With 10 quarters of continuous economic growth, the president of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro Moros, assured that the country is advancing in the construction of a diversified economy, the product of the efforts of the working people and perfect coordination with all internal economic actors. from the country.
During the first interview of 2024, with journalist and intellectual Ignacio Ramonet in Caracas, the head of state highlighted that “growth has been achieved as part of the Bolivarian Economic Agenda, of the 18 productive engines”, which In his opinion, “go step by step and need public policies, incentives, investment, national market, international market, good public management, good private management, good coordination.”
He also pointed out that “although the Central Bank of Venezuela has not yet given figures, ECLAC’s expectation of 4.5% economic growth could still be met in the midst of the imperial siege, and with its own investment. As I say, with the viscera.”
«It is noteworthy, for a country to get all its bank accounts frozen, not only frozen but all its money stolen, more than 21 billion dollars, its properties abroad frozen, prohibited from selling its products in the world, its main industry persecuted, the oil industry, which made us lose 99% of the country’s income, we went from approximately 54 billion dollars a year to 700 million dollars the following year».
However, this last year, we achieved 5% growth in agricultural activity, 4% growth in all private manufacturing activity, approximately 4% growth in commercial activity through the third quarter. “This fourth quarter that just ended now in December, is a much higher level, there has been maddening commercial activity, with impressive strength,” he said.
Regarding fishing, President Maduro assured that the country grew by 25%, while aquaculture activity grew by 20%. Only in the shrimp sector, which is an export sector, it grew 98% in 2023.
Tax collection this year grew by 25.8%, “this year we are exceeding, until the month of November, the 5,181 million in collection,” he expressed, while considering that there are a set of very important elements, to In the months and years to come, control exchange rate stability, the expiration of hyperinflation definitively, and stop inflation, as a structural evil of the hundred-year-old economy.
President Maduro also said that the credit portfolio increased by 91% compared to 2022 and highlighted that Venezuela achieved the highest level of internal supply in the last twenty-five years, with a fundamental supply of 97%. with own production and with the activity of private economic sectors with complementary imports:
“There is still a lot to do, especially to generate the wealth, the talk that we need to impact salaries and income. We have done our best to improve the comprehensive income of workers, the minimum integral income of the workers. And also, completing a circuit with the Missions and Great Missions to protect public health, public education, the construction of 500,000 homes per year to protect, with the CLAP and food programs, the people’s right to food; and put the human being at the center and protect them comprehensively while we recover the capacity, not only to generate and produce goods, products, services, but also liquid wealth, which is where our main effort is directed, and I know that we are going to achieve it . I am sure of that,” said the head of state.
