Acting President Delcy Rodríguez during an inspection of the Pacific Seafood Fish Processing Plant in Cumaná, Sucre state. Photo: Prensa Presidencial.
The fishing and aquaculture sector has registered a 23% growth in the first months of the year, compared to 2025, a figure that reflects the effectiveness of the economic policies applied to Venezuela’s agri-food sector. This was highlighted by Acting President Delcy Rodríguez during an inspection of the Pacific Seafood Fish Processing Plant in Cumaná, Sucre state.
In her speech, the acting president indicated that during the year 2025 “there was an approximate growth of 6% in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP)” of these sectors.
“I’ve been talking with the president of the Central Bank of Venezuela, who gave me good news for the end of 2025, a positive close for Venezuela’s economic growth,” she said. “This year, 2026, we have extraordinary GDP growth projections to guarantee food for our people and food sovereignty. May this national productive drive put food on the tables of Venezuelans and, at the same time, may these products become ambassadors carrying Venezuela’s name to other parts of the world,” she emphasized.
During her tour of the plant, Rodríguez observed the production cycle of items such as tahalí, corvina, and carite, which are supplied by local artisanal producers. She also inspected the vacuum packaging lines and frozen storage systems intended for both the domestic market and export to North America and Asia.
“This is the mechanism, the virtuous formula we have discussed for Venezuela: to strengthen all productive engines and ensure they have an export component so that Venezuela receives foreign currency; it is a way to defeat the economic blockade,” she pointed out.
Sardine season
The acting President announced that, as part of the celebration of Fisherman’s Day, the 2026 sardine season will begin on March 15.
Rodríguez instructed the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Juan Carlos Loyo, to organize all logistics-related matters, while touring the Pacific Seafood Fish Processing Plant, located in the state of Sucre.
