Maduro’s speech revealed the severity of the crisis in Venezuela, which had been hidden for years

In 2017, 10 million people were starving in Venezuela. One of the worst years of the economic crisis, its official indicators are largely unknown, except for a few recently disclosed by the regime in an attempt to show improvements in the situation, without clarifying how deep the damage caused by the seven-year recession has been torn. .

Venezuela’s dictator, Nicolás Maduro, announced last week that with the victory, malnutrition has been reduced to 7.7% – which is closed by 2022 – compared to 2017, an encouraging figure. 35.6% (about 10 million people) are undernourished or in other words, they are undernourished.

According to Maduro, this problem exists “One of the most disfiguring and painful injuries” Neither one nor the worst of the crisis, if one believes the alarms issued by humanitarian organizations, report the extreme poverty in which the majority of people have lived and continue to live.

During the annual accountability presented last Thursday ParliamentBreaking the silence characteristic of his regime, the dictator spoke about the economy and food, presenting indicators to demonstrate the progress he has made compared to previous years. exposed the severity of the crisis with stark but unpublished data.

Venezuela’s economy to grow 15% in 2022, the “biggest” boost in Latin America, according to data provided by Maduro They only talk about the last six quarters -all positive- with no reference to the period between April 2019 and June 2021 -no information known- or the previous five year summary.

Playing with these information gaps, Dictator, for example, saw imports increase by 106% in 2022, reaching $8,194 million.

While announcing this increase, the activities ended up at $3,979 million in 2021, a figure that has not yet been known and that A 90% decline compared to 201536,901 million dollars while buying abroad.

Therefore, imports today – as in other areas of the economy, according to independent indicators – It has shrunk considerably in the last seven yearsSeven million Venezuelans, according to United Nations estimates, have fled the country to escape the crisis.

Maduro celebrated that protein consumption had increased by 2022, and today it is rated as true in 78.3% of Venezuelan households, an improvement over five years ago. Half of the population, according to the same data, has access to food such as meatSupermarkets were empty due to a general lack of products.

The way to convey this information, according to nutritionist Susanna Rafali, is not clear, but it confirms a fact that the regime has denied for years. “Severe food crisis in 2017” This, he admits, has been progress, but not to the extent that Maduro claims today.

“It is not true that the protein (that percentage) has returned to the homes,” says the expert, on the other hand, recalling the United Nations estimate published in 2020. One in three Venezuelans suffer from food insecurityA reality, he insists, little improved.

Although these are late data, Rafali insists, Find out the manager’s responsibility for actions not taken in time To reduce malnutrition which has claimed thousands of lives in recent years.

Venezuelans have “suffered” in recent years, according to Maduro, though he did not clarify how strong the blow was.

(with information from EFE)

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