MONTEVIDEO, (Reuters) – Uruguayan dairy farmers demonstrated and blocked roads yesterday over $85 million they say is owed to them by crisis-stricken Venezuela, in part blaming their own government in Montevideo for the non-payment.
In July, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro sealed a multi-million-dollar food import deal with his Uruguayan counterpart designed to combat shortages ahead of Venezuela’s legislative elections.
But instead of paying the $267 million as agreed, Maduro’s government deposited in November under a fifth of that amount, according to Uruguay’s government.
Uruguayan farmers say Venezuela is not alone to blame.
“Venezuela has a debt of over $85 million that it owes to the dairy sector,” the local dairy industry chamber said in a statement. “Wasn’t it our president who told us to send our products to Venezuela, promising that we would be compensated?”
