International
Trade
Cargo that has arrived at Puerto Cabello:
- Over 86,000 tons of yellow corn from Bugen
Latin America, Cargill Agrícola S.A. and Desa Industries for Alimentos del
Centro C.A. (Alceca), El Tunal C.A., Ienca Inversiones C.A., Productos
Balanceados and Granja Alconca
- Over 48,000 tons of
wheat from Goubin Grain for Pastas Sindoni and Molinos Venezolanos
- 37,000 tons of red
wheat from Bunge Latin America and Terra World Trade for Molinos Carabobo
S.A. and Molinos Nacionales C.A. (Monaca).
- Over 2,000 tons of black
beans from Panamericana for state agency CASA.
- Over 1,200 tons of
butter from Fonterra Limited for CASA
- Over 600 tons of
personal care products from Procter & Gamble for its subsidiary in
Venezuela
- Over 385 tons of white
beans from Panamericana for CASA.
US-Venezuela trade fell 8% during 2014
Last year trade between Venezuela and the United
States closed at US$ 41.5 billion, a decrease of 8% from US$ 45.2 billion in 2014,
according to the Venezuelan American Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Venezuelan exports to the US were US$ 30.2 billion, US$ 1.7 billion less than
in 2013. 95.9% of that total were oil exports (US$ 29 billion). Venezuelan
imports from the US were US$ 2.8 billion, a 12.28% increase over 2013, when
purchases were US$ 2.5 billion. More in Spanish: (El Nacional; http://www.el-nacional.com/)
Trade with Colombia contracted 19.4% in 2014
Trade between Colombia and Venezuela in 2014 was US$
2.153 billion, 19.4% less than the previous year when it was US$ 2.673 billion
dollars, according to the binational chamber CAVECOL. More in Spanish: (El
Universal, http://www.eluniversal.com/economia/150218/comercio-con-colombia-se-contrajo-194-en-2014)
Logistics
& Transport
Couriers tell clients tax on shipments over US$ 300
will be charged at SIMADI rates, as per instructions from the main Customs authority at Maiquetía
International Airport. MAIL BOXES informed clients via mail. More in Spanish: (El Mundo, http://www.elmundo.com.ve/noticias/economia/politicas-publicas/couriers-notifican-que-impuesto-de-envios-mayores-.aspx#ixzz3SHIFecc9)
Economy
& Finance
Venezuela, the country with four exchange rates
Venezuela can simultaneously be the world’s cheapest
and most expensive country because of its multiple exchange rate systems. A
dinner at an upscale restaurant, including drinks, can cost as little as US$ 6
per person or as much as US$ 160, depending on how you do the math. Figuring
out the tip isn’t any easier. The creation of a new alternative exchange rate
this month, which led to a 70% devaluation, has left foreign companies operating
in Venezuela with a dilemma. Do they try to pull their money out at the new
weaker exchange rate or hold on, waiting for the stronger rate they were
promised by the government. (Bloomberg, http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-02-19/venezuela-the-country-with-four-exchange-rates)
Maduro claims SIMADI could service up to 5% of FOREX
needs, will not accept it as indicative
President Nicolás Maduro has
expressed full confidence in the three tiered FOREX system just established and
says SIMADI could "cover 5%"
of foreign currency needed for international transactions. He added he would
"not allow SIMADI to be an indicative"
of foreign exchange parity. More in Spanish: (El Mundo, http://www.elmundo.com.ve/noticias/economia/politicas-publicas/maduro--simadi-podria-llegar-a-atender-el-5--de-la.aspx#ixzz3SHL2Q0OV;
Agencia Venezolana de Noticias; http://www.avn.info.ve/contenido/ejecutivo-tomará-medidas-ante-quienes-pretendan-usar-dólar-simadi-como-marcador-economía)
Central Bank sells US$ 4.2 million to banks and
exchange offices
The Central Bank of Venezuela (BCV) sold US$ 4,214,000
dollars to universal banks and exchange offices via an auction sale of US
dollars, in order to supply the market of retail foreign exchange operations.
The resulting foreign exchange rate at the special
auction sale held on Thursday was VEB 171.62 per US dollar.
As many as 23 financial institutions were sold dollars
in the auction, the BCV informed. (El Universal, http://www.eluniversal.com/economia/150219/central-bank-sells-usd-42-million-to-banks-and-exchange-offices, http://www.eluniversal.com/economia/150219/venezuelas-central-bank-holds-auction-sale-for-retail-forex-market; http://www.eluniversal.com/economia/150218/simadi-forex-rate-stands-at-veb-17205)
International reserves now up to US$ 23.247 billion
Venezuela's Central Bank reports that on 18 February
international reserves were US$ 23.247 billion, up US$ 2.062 billion from the
previous Friday. More in Spanish: (El Mundo, http://www.elmundo.com.ve/noticias/economia/banca/reservas-internacionales-se-recuperan-y-se-ubican.aspx#ixzz3SHLLuQ1M)
Venezuelan supermarket owner fights state takeover
The U.S.-based owner of a supermarket chain taken over
by Venezuela's socialist government hopes to recover his business despite
accusations of hoarding goods to inflate shopping lines. State food company PDVAL
took temporary control of the 35-store "Dia a Dia" (Day to Day) chain
earlier this month as part of a crackdown by President Nicolas Maduro's
administration on businessmen accused of fomenting an "economic war." The company's
executive director, Manuel Morales, and external lawyer Tadeo Arriechi are in
jail on charges of "boycott"
and "economic destabilization,"
along with two FARMATODO pharmacy executives also seized in nationwide
inspections and raids. (Reuters, http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/02/19/us-venezuela-supermarket-idUSKBN0LN1NV20150219)
Basic food basket up to US$ 1,953 in December
According to the Labor Union Center for Documentation
and Social Analysis (CENDA), the basic food basket in Venezuela rose to VEB
12,306.09 (US4 1,953.34) in December 2014. (El Universal, http://www.eluniversal.com/economia/150219/food-basket-hits-usd-1953-in-december-in-venezuela)
Politics and
International Affairs
Government forcibly arrests the mayor of Metropolitan
Caracas, HRW calls for his immediate release
Venezuelan intelligence agents arrested the mayor of
the country's capital after raiding his office Thursday, sparking a fierce
outcry from opponents of President Nicolas Maduro's government. Metropolitan Caracas
Mayor Antonio Ledezma, a prominent opposition leader, was forcefully taken from
his offices by a group of over 60 hooded individuals from the SEBIN intelligence
service agents bearing heavy weaponry and taken to their headquarters in Plaza
Venezuela in Caracas. His wife, Mitzy reports: "They destroyed the doors, there was no room for mediation. (My husband)
was asking them to please stay calm and was asking what was going on. Abruptly,
pushing and shoving, and without saying a word a gigantic, enormous contingent
of agents, who were all over the place on the sixth-floor office where he works
part of the day, took him away." Several shots were fired in the
vicinity to discourage a growing crowd as the arrest took place. He was taken
with no visible warrant or legally mandated presence of representatives of the
attorney general and people's defender, and appears to have been charged for
conspiracy for having signed a public document on guidelines for a transition,
jointly with López and Maria Corina Machado. His attorney, Omar Estacio,
decried his detention. Ledezma was "virtually
kidnapped," Estacio said, calling it "a violation of the most fundamental principles of Venezuelan law and
international law." Opposition leaders, including Henrique Capriles
and María Corina Machado immediately congregated at SEBIN headquarters
demanding his release. Machado called the sequestering "a desperate action by the dictatorship
against a true democrat". COPEI party leader Roberto Enríquez demanded
respect for the constitution and said "otherwise,
the government should take off its mask and declare a state of siege".
In a televised address, President Nicolás Maduro claimed Ledezma was captured
by order of the Attorney General's Office and will be prosecuted, "so that he answers for all of the crimes
committed against the peace, security and constitution of our country."
Maduro repeated accusations that his government had blocked a U.S.-backed
opposition coup plot that included plans to attack the presidential palace with
a military jet. "Enough already with
vampires who conspire against peace," he said. Ledezma had previously been
accused by two chavista leaders, National Assembly President Captain Diosdado
Cabello and PSUV leader Jorge Rodríguez, of being the brains behind the alleged
coup attend, along with opposition legislator Julio Borges, María Corina
Machado and former Ambassador Diego Arria. Word of Ledezma's detention spread
rapidly on social media. Human Rights Watch Americas Director José Miguel
Vivanco termed the detention "arbitrary"
and says "absent any evidence of a crime,
the mayor should have never been detained and should be immediately
released....The government of Venezuela is responsible for the life and
physical integrity of opposition mayor Antonio Ledezma". The
Venezuelan Mayors Association called the detention "illegal". (CNN, http://www.cnn.com/2015/02/19/americas/venezuela-caracas-mayor/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_term=%2AMorning%20Brief&utm_campaign=2015_MorningBrief_New_America_PROMO.2.20.15;
Bloomberg, http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-02-19/venezuela-opposition-mayor-antonio-ledezma-detained-by-police; El
Universal, http://www.eluniversal.com/nacional-y-politica/150219/intelligence-agency-arrests-caracas-metropolitan-mayor-antonio-ledezma; and
more in Spanish: El Nacional; http://www.el-nacional.com/; El Mundo, http://www.elmundo.com.ve/noticias/actualidad/noticias/maduro---ledezma-sera-procesado-por-todos-los-deli.aspx#ixzz3SHJrIb2J;
El Universal, http://www.eluniversal.com/nacional-y-politica/150220/maduro-antonio-ledezma-sera-procesado-por-la-justicia,
http://www.eluniversal.com/nacional-y-politica/150220/el-sebin-detuvo-a-ledezma-tras-allanar-oficina-de-su-partido;
http://www.eluniversal.com/nacional-y-politica/150219/hrw-pide-la-liberacion-del-alcalde-ledezma-tras-su-detencion-arbitrari)
State Department terms Maduro's charges baseless and
false
In an official statement, the US State Department replied:
"The allegations made by the
Venezuelan government that the United States is involved in coup plotting and
destabilization are baseless and false... The United States is not promoting
unrest in Venezuela nor are we attempting to undermine Venezuela’s economy or
its government... Venezuela’s economic and political problems are the result of
the policies of the Venezuelan government. The Venezuelan government should
stop attempting to distract attention from the country’s economic and political
problems and focus on finding real solutions through democratic dialogue among
Venezuelans. The government should also consider the statements by 36
individuals and entities, including the UN Working Group on Arbitrary
Detention, UN Committee Against Torture, Amnesty International, the OAS, and
European Parliament, calling for the release of Leopoldo Lopez, who now is
entering his second year in prison, and others held for participating in
peaceful protests in 2014. We regret that the Venezuelan government continues
to blame the United States or other members of the international community for
events inside Venezuela. The Venezuelan government needs to deal with the grave
situation it faces. " (US Department of State, http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2015/02/237650.htm)
Bill Clinton demands immediate release of Leopoldo
López
On his twitter account,
former US President Bill Clinton says: "Leopoldo López and the political prisoners in Venezuela should be
released without delay." At the same time, Lilian Tintori, wife of the
jailed opposition leader has reported a group of over 30 guards tried to
forcefully remove her husband from his cell, to apparently take him away from
the Ramo Verde military prison to another jail. (Twitter: https://twitter.com/billclinton/status/568605975286026241;
and more in Spanish: El Nacional; http://www.el-nacional.com/)
Government legislators seek removal of lawmaker Julio
Borges' immunity
Legislator William Fariñas, head of the Defense and Security
Committee of the National Assembly says pro-government deputies would request
the Supreme Tribunal of Justice to remove the parliamentary immunity of
opposition deputy Julio Borges, due to his alleged involvement in a coup plot
denounced by President Nicolás Maduro. According to Fariñas, "there is enough evidence against Julio
Borges. (El
Universal, http://www.eluniversal.com/nacional-y-politica/150219/pro-govt-deputies-to-ask-for-removal-of-lawmaker-julio-borges-immunity)
Spain terms Venezuela's pressure on Spanish companies "intolerable"
Spain's Minister for Industry, Energy and Tourism,
José Manuel Soria, says it is "absolutely
intolerable" for Venezuela to pressure Spanish companies to intercede
against what Nicolas Maduro's regime believes to be a campaign by Spanish media
against them. Soria was referring to a meeting by Venezuela's Executive Vice
President Jorge Arreaza and Vice-minister of Foreign Affairs for Europe,
Calixto Ortega, with the main Spanish companies operating in Venezuela, such as
TELEFÓNICA, ZARA, REPSOL, BBVA, MAPFRE, MELIÁ, IBERIA y Air Europa. Ortega denies
the government had "threatened"
the companies and stressed that Caracas intends to have "kind" bilateral relations with
Spain and boost investments. According to Ortega, the meeting was intended to
"report on the fierce
communicational campaign" some Spanish media "particularly ABC and El País" have
been waging against Venezuela. He added that the representatives of the
companies were given dossiers with news clippings from Spanish newspapers
"as evidence." Spanish
media have amply reported that the Chávez and Maduro regime have paid the
Political and Social Studies Center, run by the leaders of the Spanish PODEMOS
party, over EU 7,000 per month each as advisors to the Venezuelan government. Venezuelans living in Madrid, Spain have
called for a march against PODEMOS and for democracy from Plaza España
to Puerta del Sol for next Sunday, March 1. Its goal is to tell Spaniards
emerging party PODEMOS is being financed by Venezuela and is based on “Chavista principles.” (El Universal, http://www.eluniversal.com/nacional-y-politica/150219/venezuelan-govt-denies-threats-against-spanish-companies;
Veneconomy, http://www.veneconomy.com/site/index.asp?ids=44&idt=42820&idc=1;
http://www.veneconomy.com/site/index.asp?ids=44&idt=42819&idc=1;
http://www.veneconomy.com/site/index.asp?ids=44&idt=42817&idc=2;
and more in Spanish: El Mundo, http://www.elmundo.com.ve/noticias/economia/internacional/espana-califica-de-intolerable-la-peticion-de-vene.aspx#ixzz3S5e6J3ib;
El Nacional; http://www.el-nacional.com/)
Government calls Insulza statements "perverse, ill intentioned and deceitful"
Venezuela's Ambassador to the Organization of American
States, Roy Chaderton, says statements by OAS Secretary General José Miguel
Insulza that the economic and social situation in Venezuela "is very critical", are "perverse, ill intentioned and deceitful".
He said Insulza "follows the line of
a media dictatorship which fabricates horrors about Venezuela". More
in Spanish: (El Universal, http://www.eluniversal.com/nacional-y-politica/150218/gobierno-tacho-de-perversas-las-opiniones-de-insulza)
The following brief is a synthesis of the news
as reported by a variety of media sources. As such, the views and opinions
expressed do not necessarily reflect those of Duarte Vivas & Asociados and
The Selinger Group.
