“Venezuela to Boost Gold Production Capacity”, 6^th June 2019

…Venezuelan government is currently committed to the expansion of gold production in the country as an alternative to the blockade imposed on the oil industry to acquire necessary goods. Mining is another way to address the population's needs in the face of the blockade imposed by the U.S. government on the hydrocarbon trade, the nation's main source of income, President Nicolas Maduro said. Nobody can stop production and trade, we have the gold in hand, Maduro added in rejection of Washington's sanctions against entities such as the Venezuelan General Mining Company (Minerven)...However, the government this year intends to increase the capacity of gold production to acquire the inputs demanded, he stated…during a working meeting to support the Mining Engine Action Plan 2019-2025 and analyze the Ministry projections. As part of the same agenda, the Ministry of Ecological Mining Development began on Wednesday the process of exploitation, exploration and processing of phosphate rock to produce fertilizers for agroindustry. Venezuela has 19.9 million tons of material to produce fertilizers, Alexander Astudillo, Deputy Minister of Monitoring and Control, said. The exploitation of this strategic mineral as raw material allows the elaboration of organic phosphate fertilizer, aimed at sowing and harvesting different items, he added…