Venezuela's Hugo Chavez will soon be running out of industries he can threaten to seize. After huffing and puffing about retailers a few weeks ago, the Bolivarian blowhard has now threatened to nationalize farms, in an effort to tackle food shortages.
Government controls keep food prices low in shops to help even the poorest Venezuelans feed themselves. But in response, some farmers sell their produce in neighboring countries where prices are higher, leading to shortages of bread, milk, eggs and meat. In his weekly TV show, Chavez said farmers doing this should have their farms "expropriated".
Over the weekend, Chavez also threatened to seize banks which did not give enough low-interest loans to farmers. Banks are not allowed to charge farmers interest higher than 15% - even though inflation last year ran at 22.5%. Critics say complying with government policy could drive some businesses into bankruptcy.
Oil, telecommunications and electricity industries in Venezuela have already been nationalized.
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