VENEZUELA-Storage in State silos rose 681.38% http://www.abn.info.ve/node/64178

The silos belonging to the state-run Corporation of Agricultural Storage and Supply (Casa in Spanish) have increased 681.34% the storage of food products in eight years, passing from 200,000 tons in 2002 to 1,362,640 tons in 2010.According to data gathered by the Food Ministry the storage of food has progressively increased since 2003 (652,920 tons); 2004 (887,920); 2005 (975,640); 2006 (1,237,340); 2007, 2008 and 2009 (1,302,640); and 2010 (1,362,640).

The sustained increase in the storage of basic-needs products is a result of the creation of the food network Mercal in 2003; the food producer and supply network PDVAL in 2008; and the nationalization of supermarket chains for the creation of the Bicentennial Super and Hypermarkets between January and June 2010.

Likewise, food distribution to raw material processing plants went from 25,836 tons in 2003 to 2,835,943 tons in 2010.Currently, the state-run company Casa owns 49 silos, transport units, warehouses, storage facilities, cold-storage chambers and yards for containers.Casa was created on August 2, 1989 and it is attached to the Food Ministry. Its goal is to render agricultural services; commercialization and distribution of: food products or other products complementary to the basic-need basket, raw materials; commercialization and distribution of consumables for agrifood, agroproductive and agroindustrial activities; and machinery and agricultural or fishing equipments, whether they are produced domestically or abroad.