Bolivarian Government agrees with producers to prioritize rice harvest in the winter 2026 cycle

Published at: 19/08/2026 03:05 PM

The Bolivarian Government reached structural agreements with agro-industry sectors and producers to prioritize the purchase of the national rice crop during the winter cycle 2026.

The information was released by the Minister for Productive Agriculture and Lands, Vladimir Padrino López, after a new meeting of the working group on the commercialization of the sector, in which the holders of the Food, Industry and National Trade portfolios participated.

“It was confirmed that Venezuelan production is the main source of supply, considering imports only as a complement that does not compete with the efforts of our farmers,” said Minister Padrino López in statements collected by the Venezuelan News Agency.

Among the measures adopted at the meeting, it was established that agro-industries that do not acquire domestic production will not obtain import licenses. In addition, for the rest of 2026, new ships with rice raw material will not be allowed to enter.

Regarding the costing mechanism, Padrino López indicated that “it was stated that the price formation mechanism should not necessarily imply a return to a rigid administrative fixing scheme, but rather to ensure that the market operates under conditions that prevent imports from interfering, distorting or depressing the value of domestic production.”

Finally, the State will undertake monitoring tasks to ensure compliance with purchase commitments, the settlement of outstanding payments to producers and the coordinated review of the cost structure of agro-inputs.

Mazo News Team