Sector Vice President Calixto Ortega: Venezuelan economy maintains sustained growth

Published at: 01/05/2026 08:44 PM

The sector vice president of Economy and Finance, Calixto Ortega, highlighted that Venezuela has 20 consecutive quarters of economic recovery, providing a balance sheet on the country's performance.

During an interview on the La Jornada program, broadcast by Venezolana de Televisión (VTV), he specified that preliminary data from the Central Bank of Venezuela (BCV), the first half of 2026 shows signs of growing economic activity, driven by a policy of permanent dialogue with all the sectors and unions responsible for production.

Ortega highlighted the milestone achieved in the hydrocarbons sector, where he reported that the month of April closed with a production of one million two hundred and eighty thousand barrels per day (1.28 MMBd), representing a growth of close to 20% compared to the previous year.

This advance, attributed to the efforts of oil and petrochemical workers, is reinforced by the signing of new foreign investment agreements.

However, the vice-president recalled that, despite the improvement, current revenues represent only a third of what they received in 2012, expecting greater growth in the months to come.

Regarding the change in the consumption model, Ortega compared the dependence on basic imports in 2012 with the current reality, where the vast majority of basic food products are produced in Venezuelan territory.

He noted that household consumption has maintained an upward trend since 2024.

“Venezuela is destined to occupy its space in the global energy equation,” he said and insisted that the ultimate goal is still an economy free of sanctions to compete on equal terms.

Faced with the high investment needs in electrical and health systems, he stressed that the Executive's responsibility lies in optimizing the use of resources to generate a direct impact on the well-being of households.