Venezuelan government giving credits to some poultry companies

To address the food shortage in Venezuela, representatives of its government have met with business and trade union leaders to find solutions to "ensure the food security of the population," according to the Caracas daily, El Periodiquito .
One of the measures resulting from these meetings has to do with the delivery of soft loans to some producers, such as poultry company H&H Agropecuaria SA. Its legal representative, Fabricio de La Pola, said it received from the Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro a credit for VEF350 million (US$55.8 million) "to continue the process of expanding production farms and the construction of infrastructure."
The firm benefited with this loan produces 5.5 million chickens per year and 25 tons of manure that can be used as fertilizer of more than 20 thousand cultivated hectares. For his part, Vice President of Finance Rodolfo Marco Torres called together agribusiness associations, including the National Federation of Poultry Producers (Fenavi), National Association of Egg Producers (Asoprohuevos) and the Institute for Research and Promotion of Consumption of eggs (Inprohuevos).
The purpose of this meeting was to "promote the development of a diversified, advanced, harmonious, and autonomous economy, able to meet the needs of the country." These actions contrast with the complaint made by the president of the Association of Poultry Farmers of Tachira State, Rafael Moreno, who asked the central government to help them finance the debt of US$900 million that the 122 member companies have with poultry feed importers.
"We have a reserve of raw materials up to late September and our monthly expenses total US$300 million. Along with the accumulated debt, an unsustainable situation has been generated, by not allowing honor payment commitments with international suppliers," said Moreno.
Poultry farms of Táchira produce 6 million kilograms of chicken meat monthly and 1,200 cases of eggs daily. All chicken producers in Venezuela are asking the government to close imports from Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay, "because we are able to meet domestic demand and the imported product is subsidized, affecting our thin profit margins."