The Venezuelan Government says it responds with food production to the siege of the U.S.

Caracas.- Venezuela’s Executive Vice President, Delcy Rodríguez, stated this Saturday that her country has responded with internal food production and distribution in the face of what she described as siege and threats from the United States, which has maintained a military deployment in the southern Caribbean Sea since August. During an assessment of the Love and Food Prosperity Plan in Caracas, broadcast by the state-owned channel Venezolana de Televisión (VTV), Rodríguez said that, while from the United States “they planned to besiege, threaten”, in Venezuela they responded with a logistical deployment that “has never been seen” in which “all productive sectors were activated to bring food” to the population. “They boast of saying that they have a display of the Navy in the Caribbean, like never before seen. The Venezuelan people responded with what has truly never been seen: a logistical deployment of this nature,” he declared. The Minister of Hydrocarbons also indicated that, within the framework of this food program, 158,000 metric tons of food have been distributed in five weeks to, she assured, “serve almost five million people”. Likewise, Rodríguez pointed out that the South American country is also advancing in economic growth. “Venezuela (continues) leading the economic growth in our region despite the economic, financial, commercial harassment, despite the blockade against our homeland,” he declared.

Military Deployment in the Caribbean

According to the vice president, this growth expresses “the determination to be free” and that “nothing can subdue” the feeling of freedom and independence of the country. On Friday, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro denounced that power sectors in the United States are fabricating a “virtual reality” to steal resources from his country, amid growing tensions with the government led by U.S. President Donald Trump. Washington has maintained an air and naval deployment in the Caribbean since August, near Venezuelan waters, which, it claims, aims to combat drug trafficking, but which Caracas interprets as “threats” and an attempt to bring about a change of regime. Tensions escalated after Trump’s announcement of a blockade of sanctioned oil tankers moving to and from the South American country, and the confiscation of two ships carrying Venezuelan crude in recent days.