Venezuelan agriculture urges policy overhaul as government pushes foot‑and‑mouth disease‑free certification

Fedeagro president Osman Quero warned that Venezuela’s corn and rice sectors face structural market distortions, including price setting below production costs, storage and transport bottlenecks, and exchange‑rate gaps that strain cash flow. He called for agricultural policies to be aligned with those for mining and hydrocarbons, demanding predictable pricing, financing and legal certainty, and said the proposals will be presented to the agricultural monitoring commission.

Agriculture Minister Vladimir Padrino López met with cattle‑herding groups to coordinate steps toward international certification of Venezuela as free of foot‑and‑mouth disease. The meeting covered animal‑health surveillance, a post‑vaccination audit and the modernization of the National Institute of Agricultural Health (INS). Officials presented the certification as a way to diversify the economy, open livestock markets abroad and strengthen confidence in the sector.