President Maduro’s Annual Address to the Nation: Venezuela’s Achievements in 2023

Orinoco Tribune, January 17, 2024 —

President Nicolás Maduro focused on Venezuela’s achievements in 2023, the difficulties that have been overcome, and the national unity necessary to face what is coming, in his annual address to the nation, delivered in the National Assembly.

In his address delivered on Monday, January 15, President Maduro noted that Venezuela accomplished its goals in 2023, highlighting the fact that Venezuelans have been subjected to a regime of criminal sanctions, so any future projections is already a victory.

After years of battling the economic warfare generated by the United States, the Venezuelan president highlighted that 2023 represented a transition between overcoming hyperinflation and consolidating the achievements made with Venezuela’s own model of democracy amid the US blockade.

8 years of US blockade

• Oil production fell 87% and reached its lowest level in June 2020 with 339,000 barrels per day compared to 2.5 million bpd in January 2015.
• Venezuela lost production of 3.993 billion barrels of oil, which represented a revenue loss of $323 billion.
• The total loss of the national economy in terms of GDP decline between 2015 and 2022 was $642 billion.
• $22 billion of Venezuelan assets in foreign bank accounts were seized or stolen, including 32 tons of gold still held in the United Kingdom.
• Aircraft, ships, and 150 public and private, national and foreign companies sanctioned for operating in and with Venezuela.

In this context, any achievement in economic matters has the merit of having overcome all the obstacles that arose from the illegal sanctions. “Here there is no small figures or modest indicators. Everything has cost us twice as much,” said the president.

The difficulties were overcome by the creation of an agenda with eight principles of action with which 12 strategic goals were achieved in 2023, which must undoubtedly be celebrated. However, President Maduro urged Venezuelans not to declare victory or to underestimate the problems that still exist. They persist and affect Venezuelans.

12 achievements
1. Control of inflation: In December 2023, inflation decreased by 33 points compared to the same month in 2022, reaching the lowest figure since 2013, standing at 2.4%.

1. Foreign exchange rate: In 2023, the country had the smallest devaluation of the bolívar since the exchange tables were created.

The contribution of a significant volume of foreign currency to the exchange market by the private sector, $14.577 billion, the highest in 2023, which exceeded the $8.624 billion in 2022, shows that there is a better relationship between the state and the private enterprises after a century of corporate rentierism.

1. Growth of national oil and non-oil production:

•  The year 2023 closed with 10 quarters of continuous GDP growth.
• Fishing production increased by 25% in 2023 and reached 182,141 tons.
• Aquaculture production also grew by 20%, and 38,968 tons of these items were captured. Shrimp production led exports with an increase of 98%.
• Agricultural production maintyained its growth of 5% for five consecutive quarters.
• Agricultural production grew by 5.5%.

• The livestock population grew by 3.9% with 29,972,313 heads of cattle, sheep, goats, and buffalo, which translates into greater consumption of protein by Venezuelans.
• 96% of domestic consumption supplied by national production.

• The industrial sector grew 3.93% in the last quarter of 2023 and, in that same period, commercial activity expanded by 3.49%.
• Private manufacturing registered 10 quarters of sustained growth with 3.93% in the third quarter of 2023.
• The tourism sector grew by 25% compared to 2022.
• Oil activity grew 12.99% in the last quarter of 2023, even with the blockade against the industry. The increase in oil exports was 60.46%.
• PDVSA ended the year 2023 with an income of $6.23 billion.
• 5% of GDP growth in 2023, the highest in Latin America.
• In 2023, tax collection increased by 26%. By collecting $5.75 billion, the system of paying taxes and tributes was consolidated.

1. Missions and Great Missions of the government were continued and funded.
2. Two new schemes were created to protect Venezuelans: the Love in Action Plan for the Victims of Economic Warfare, and the Great Mission for Venezuelan Women.

1. The people’s power system was strengthened.
2. In 2023, the Venezuelan government adopted the mission to turn the main cities of Venezuela into the safest cities in Latin America. The adoption of several measures, the most notable of which was the Peace Quadrants, resulted in a decrease in crime by 16.8% compared to 2022.
3. New methods of planning and administering public services were applied, such as the 1×10 System of Good Government and the Military-Community Brigades for Education and Health (Bricomiles).
4. The union of Venezuela in defense of Guayana Esequiba was achieved.
5. The values ​​of cultural, technological, and scientific independence were strengthened.

https://orinocotribune.com/venezuelas-2023-annual-inflation-ends-at-189-lowest-since-2015-argentina/

1. Recovering Venezuela’s leading role in Latin America and consolidating its position in the emerging multipolar world became a priority in 2023 and will remain so by virtue of a collective need for integration and cooperation among countries.
2. Relaunch of the Golden Generation under sports programs at both professional and amateur levels.

All the achievements of 2023 were the product of a joint effort of the government and the people of Venezuela to make progress by challenging and overcoming many obstacles that continue to condition the economic and social reality of Venezuela.