President Maduro greets producers of CLAP program in Guatire Industrial Zone, Miranda state, Venezuela. Photo: Presidential Press.
On Friday, March 17, during an event celebrating the seventh anniversary of the founding of the CLAP program held at the Oasis Food Packaging Center, located in the Industrial Zone of Guatire in Miranda state, President Nicolás Maduro announced that Venezuela now produces 95% of the products that are distributed through its Local Supply and Production Committees (CLAP) program.
He added that 7.5 million families receive food and other daily commodities at least once a month from this plan.
President Maduro also spoke about the persecution carried out by the US against countries that have provided products to Venezuela’s CLAP program in order to promote chaos in the country.
“They took away all the products from the people, generating up to 80% of shortages, and they used the people for their political interests,” the president said. “We must not forget the economic war and the food war: from this, the people’s program for food was born. CLAP was born from the experience of the people.”
He stated that the food producing experiences of the peoples of Yaracuy and Cojedes states were studied to develop the program.
“It emerged from the bowels of the People’s Power with the mission of creating a new system of local production and direct distribution,” he said. “We reviewed those initiatives and in 2016, we launched the program.”
He commented that at that time, Venezuela still had some foreign currency income, and “4 million CLAP boxes were purchased abroad from Brazil, Panama, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, and Turkey. We imported 93% of the products in CLAP. Then we imported [an additional] 6 million boxes, until imperialism sanctioned the CLAP program and the US persecuted the businesses who provided us with the products and even froze their accounts. In response to that situation, I met with our producers to empower our own national production. From 2020 until today, we have managed to produce in our own country 95% of the products in CLAP. It is a great achievement, without a doubt.
“Today, we can say that we have more than 45,000 Local Supply and Production Committees, 73% of which are run by women,” the president added. “Gains have been made, and the best is coming for CLAP.
“It is a Christian plan; it is a plan from the deep heart of our Christian being,” President Maduro specified. “CLAP will multiply and will go where it has to go to reach Venezuelan homes. Seven years of CLAP, and the miracle became possible.”
Financing of national production
Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez announced that national production for the CLAP program will receive funds and resources through the Financing Fund, established by the Ministry of Economy and Finance.
“My Productive CLAP, with P of production capitalized—when the 45,510 CLAPs will produce bountifully, it will be something gigantic, there will be no empire that can defeat Venezuela,” President Maduro said.
The president instructed the Minister for Food, Leal Tellería, and Vice President Rodríguez to “ensure that by December 31, 50% of the CLAPS in the country must be fully functional, that is, 22,755 of the food-producing CLAPs. We must provide the resources to achieve the goal of 75% by 2025, and 100% by 2026. Some with large projects, others with more modest micro projects, but all of them must be productive.”
On a national scale, the food program has expanded its horizons with the deployment of fishing (seafood distribution), textile (school uniform production), and maternal (maternal-neonatal protection) activities.
Nutri-Vida Plan
The governor of Guárico state, José Vázquez, announced the incorporation of high nutritional value products in the food combos of CLAP through the Nutri-Vida plan. He made the announcement while visiting the Nutri Chica cereal production plant in San Juan de los Morros, Guárico State. The governor explained that this plant, named Gigante Chávez, will produce 1,400 tons of these foods, highlighting that this is the maximum production capacity of this plant.
The products of the Nutri-Vida line will include Nutri Chica, Nutri Cereal, Nutri Fororo, and Rice Cream. All of them are gluten-free and can be prepared instantly.
These foods will provide 30% of the daily required calories, micronutrients, vitamins, and phosphorus, which are essential for human growth and development.
The governor of Miranda state, Héctor Rodríguez Castro, highlighted that the CLAP also changed the dynamics of the government in the national territorial level. “Today, thanks to the heads of the CLAPs, on top of helping us solve the food issue, the bases of socialism are being established,” he said. “Looking to the future, the CLAP program will be a fundamental factor in the empowerment of the people.”
CLAPs in Apure receive funds and equipment
Governor Eduardo Piñate of Apure state, at an event in San Fernando de Apure, delivered equipment and supplies to several CLAP producers and distributed 63 loans to 35 CLAP associates from five municipalities of the state through the My Productive CLAP program.
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/SC/KZ
