CARACAS, March 5 (Xinhua) -- Venezuelan Vice President Tareck El Aissami said Monday his country is developing together with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) a "country program" to promote sustainable production practices.
"The management model that results from 'Programa Pais' will lead us to consolidate management models in other productive sectors, including petrochemicals, tourism, mining, and pharmaceutical, among others," said El Aissami when meeting with a visiting UNIDO delegation in Caracas.
Called "Programa Pais," or "Country Program," the plan aims to diversify Venezuela's oil-dependent economy and establish sustainable agro-industrial production chains to ensure food sovereignty over key products such as corn, rice, sugar, legumes, cacao, coffee and soybeans.
The plan, which also calls for joint efforts with the private sector and small- and medium-sized companies, should begin to have an impact in the coming months, raising the country's productive capacity, El Aissami said.
Diego Masera, head of the UNIDO delegation, said Venezuela had reached out to UNIDO in an effort to diversify its economy and cut back on its reliance on oil exports.
"We want to transfer the best international management and organizational practices to promote sustainable production in Venezuela," Masera said.
UNIDO and Venezuela signed an agreement to strengthen agro-industrial cooperation in November 2017.
