Roque Zapata, president of the Chamber of the Venezuelan Industry of Alcoholic Species (Civea), said that 60% of the liquors that occupy the country’s shelves enter illegally. He denounced that many of these products do not have sanitary certification.
The president of the Chamber of the Venezuelan Industry of Alcoholic Species (Civea), Roque Zapata, specified that sales in the sector registered a drop of between 25% and 30% in the first five months of 2023, with the illegal entry of liquor being one of the main reasons for the decrease in consumption.
“This product that is entering the country illegally has taken space on our shelves, it has taken space at points of sale, a national product that pays tax can cost you up to 30 bolivars, an imported product that does not pay anything can cost you 15 or 20 bolivars”, explained the president of Civea. He added that 60% of the products on the shelves are illegal.
In interview for Fedecamaras RadioZapata denounced that many of these imported products do not have sanitary certification, “current consumption in Venezuela has dropped a lot, for every 10 people it is 2 or 2.5; there is a drop in consumption; even if you think the opposite.
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He explained that many companies have had to reach financing agreements directly with suppliers in order to access the necessary raw material. “Liquor producers are affected by constant power outages and fuel shortages.”
Zapata added that the outlook for the industry for the second part of this year will remain “very complicated” as long as the excessive entry of illegal products continues. He stressed that the sector is not opposed to imports, however, “ideally, the products that enter Venezuela comply with all the documentation, so that they can compete with national products on equal terms.”
With information from Fedecamaras Radio
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