Chavez Siezes US Owned Plant

By regulation they mean the whim of Hugo Chavez. Last Month it was about producing plain verse flavored products, but that is the excuse. In reality Chavez been trying to control as much of the food industry as possible, it will be the easiest way to ensure a compliant population. Having chased and jailed his opponents from the country its clear the path to a totalitarian state has been opened by him. Last month it was using his troops to destroy the power of local politicians and his pace of theft and looting has continued.

CARACAS, Venezuela (CNN) -- Venezuela temporarily seized a pasta-making plant Friday belonging to U.S.-based food giant Cargill, citing a production quota dispute. Rafael Coronado, Venezuela'sdeputy minister for food, announced the takeover live on the state-run Venezolana de Television channel. He said the plant did not meet production levels for pasta sold at lower, government-mandated prices.

An inspection of the plant Thursday found that 41 percent of its pasta met the government-established level, Coronado said at a news conference in front of the food plant. Fifty-nine percent was "out of regulation," he said.

The Venezuelan government will take over the plant for 90 days, he said, and then will determine what steps to take next.

It was the second time in recent months that the government of left-wing President Hugo Chavez has taken over a Cargill plant. Chavez announced in March that he had ordered the takeover of a Cargill rice plant.

Cargill spokesman Mark Klein said Friday afternoon the Minnesota-based company did not have an immediate comment. But Klein said in March, when the rice plant was taken over, that Cargill "is committed to the production of food in Venezuela that complies with all laws and regulations."

Everything old is new again.