The Ninth National Development Plan outlines the current administration’s policies to take Venezuela into the next century. Some of the key economic elements of the plan include:
- Increasing agricultural production. Recognizing Venezuela’s dependency on agricultural imports, the current administration proposes making Venezuela a net exporter in agricultural products by the end of the decade.
- Increasing electricity generation. The plan proposes maximizing the electric potential of the Guri Dam by selling electricity to northern Brazil. Indeed, such an agreement has already been signed by both governments and construction on a 230/440 kilovolt power line is already underway.
- Opening petroleum and gold exploration to outside investors. Investment will be opened to foreign oil companies. A similar strategy is also proposed for gold mining.
Source: CORDIPLAN, Un proyecto de pais: Venezuela en consenso, documentos del IX Plan de la Nacion. (GOV: Caracas, 1994), p. 121.
