The Alba Fair hosts Venezuela Exporta in Cochabamba
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Prensa BancoEx, 13-7-2014
Freely translated by Anoosha Boralessa (June 2015); not revised by bilaterals.org or any other organization or person.
The Alba Fair hosts Venezuela Exporta in Cochabamba
This Wednesday, Alvaro Garcia Linera, the vice president of Bolivia, was entrusted with inaugurating in Cochabamba, the Fair of Industrial Complementarity of the Bolivarian Alliance for the People of Our America – a Trade Treaty for the People (Alba – TCP). At this fair, the Venezuela Exporta program is putting on display more than 450 products with export potential.
In order to clarify Alba’s conceptual and substantive importance for member states (Antigua and Barbuda, Bolivia, Cuba, Dominica, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Santa Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines and Venezuela), the Bolivian vice president began his inaugural address with a reference to the definition of colonialism.
Thus Garcia Linera explained:
“Colonialism is the occupation of one country’s territories by other countries. It is an invasion. The objective of this invasion of our people was to subjugate our economies, efforts and creativity to the metropolis.”
He added that this relationship of subordination did not end in the 19th century when states attained independence in the battlefield. This is why it is necessary
“to make the transition from a “commodities” economy to an industrial economy; and [then] from an industrial economy to a knowledge-based economy.” This [process should take place] within a scheme of integrating and shaping the continent’s states. This is because isolation is not an option in the 21st century.
He went on:
“Alba was born with this spirit: it is searching for a new way for us to integrate.”
At the same time he recalled that the rise of this Bolivarian Alliance challenges Free Trade Agreements (FTAs).
“FTAs meant free trade for big capital and their profits, but not free trade for small and medium domestic manufacturers”.
He emphasized:
“There can be no freedom without equality and what Alba is searching for is this: building opportunities between equals, who instead of profit, search for complementarity. Complementarity means that the effort one party makes is bound up with the effort of the other party; rather than the effort of one party being usurped by the profit of another party. We are destroying the FTAA and the “alquitas.” Then it was a vigorous movement, headed by president Hugo Chavez, that succeeded in destroying what appeared an uncontrollable maelstrom.”
In this context, the Alba Industrial Complementarity Fair was organized. It strives to strengthen activities of economic integration and production in member states through trade that is based on agreements, beneficial to the countries involved.
“The importance of businessmen attending this fair represents a fresh attempt of making liberating alliances. Chavez left us the legacy of seeing the continent just as Bolivar did - without borders. Alba is following the legacy of Chavez, Bolivar, our fighters and of 21st century logic.”
The Venezuelan Imprint
Venezuela Exporta is a program the Bank for Foreign Trade (Bancoex) designed. It arrived in Cochabamba this year (2014) following its display in El Salvador and Trinidad and Tobago where it achieved a total of USD 37,345,715.
So as the Venezuelan ambassador in Bolivia, Crisbeylee Gonzalez Hernandez specified, the national presentation in the South American city is made up of 90 businesses that are exhibiting more than 450 products with export potential, in an area of 1300 square meters.
The Ambassador reflected:
“We must strengthen our trade relationship. This type of fair enables us to make progress in consolidating the matrix that will enable us to overcome asymmetries and this will help us”.
In addition to exhibiting Venezuela’s non oil-producing offering, Venezuela Exporta is facilitating a business meeting between Venezuelan businessmen and their Bolivian counterparts. It is also making available through Bancoex, credit instruments to support exporting from Venezuela.
Following its launch on 8 July 2013 in Montevideo Uruguay, the Venezuela Exporta programme also toured the cities of Guayaquil, Ecuador; Santa Cruz, Bolivia; Bogota, Colombia; Havana, Cuba and Manaos, Brazil. All this culminated in more than 91 million dollars in business plans.
In Cochabamba, samples of creole chocolate are being offered under the Venezuelan flag. There are also samples of Venezuela’s potential in coffee, juices and yoghurts. There will also be the customary sampling of Venezuelan rum until 12 July, both in the facilities of Venezuela Exporta and in the enclosure for the fair in the Hugo Chavez Square, arranged by the Venezuelan Embassy in Bolivia.