RAW MATERIALS
$ 300 million China fund go to basic industries Rodolfo Sanz said employers core "managed to stay despite the crisis" Trust that next year will be "better", by launching two new plants
Ileana Garcia Mora
igarcia@...
"We are committed to building a strong system of basic industries. We have the advantage of controlling the sources of raw materials, said yesterday the Minister of Basic Industries and Mining Rodolfo Sanz.
The ideal, however, will be difficult to achieve this year. The high labor unrest staged Guyana companies, coupled with a fall in export volumes and falling prices affect production this year.
For this and to revive investment, companies are already receiving Chinese fund resources for a total of $ 300 million. "We are investing in plants: adapting cranes within enterprises, doing maintenance, raising the lake levees Red Gold.
We are working, despite the crisis. Contrary to what was speculated, and we are investing.
2009 as 2008 "I have the exact figure of how much Ferrominera production fell, but in the past quarter we sold a significant amount of tons of iron," the minister said yesterday.
Although still preliminary information collated, Sanz announced that production at the end of 2009 will close as in 2008.
"Last year we closed in Sidor with 3,658,000 tons of liquid steel, resulting in 3.2 million products in coils, hot and cold," he said.
Projections from the holder of the office, culminating aluminum production by 1,600 tonnes, Venalum reach 400,000 tonnes and 140,000 tonnes Alcasa.
"Despite the crisis, we remain," said Sanz.
While in Guyana, said "everything is fine," adding that "all disputes hamper production companies."
He noted he has talked with workers, believing that there are ways to continue the union struggles, different from the suspension of production activities.
New projects "We believe that next year will be much better." The expectations of the Minister of Basic Industries and Mining are sustained there will be a "surprise" with gold mining, as well as launching new businesses.
"We have one of the second largest gold reserves in the world after South Africa with 500 million ounces, and we are exercising control over those areas," he said.
For this, said it is studying a project requiring an investment of $ 300 million and to be financed by the Central Bank of Venezuela and foreign companies. "We're going to shoot like a rocket," he said.
He also said that Venezuelan industries are "free development process". This, by the construction of the new steel plant in Ciudad del Piar, "which is super advanced, in fact, we are in search of equipment from abroad.
Also for the construction of the rolling plant in Caicara. "It's an aluminum lamination between 0.5 to 0.8 millimeters thick."
These improve production capacity and export industries, which would trigger the search for new customers such as Iran, and only Colombia, European Union and the U.S..
http://www.elmundo.com.ve/notas.asp?id=17N2&ed=2009x11x24&es=1
