Venezuela
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| AGRICULTURE |
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Venezuelian agriculture accounts for 4% of the GDP and it employs 12% of the working population. The arable areas represent 24% of the total surface. Venezuela is an important producer of banana and sugar cane (6 850 thousand tons). However, because agriculture is not self-sufficient, Venezuela has to import 60% of farm-produce products.
Thanks to its geographic situation, Venezuela benefits from optimal conditions to develop its agriculture. The current growth of the farming sector is at a 4.7%. The main farm products, apart from those listed afterwards, are : coffee, cocoa, sugar cane, cotton, sesame.
Venezuela is divided into two agricultural zones:
Zone1: the mountainous region of the coast which concentrates 52% of the population of the country (cultivated products: fruits, coffee, cocoa, milk and vegetables)
Zone2: Plains on the centre of the country (llanos): breeding cattle and different cultures.
Agricultural population (in thousands)
Total population
2 617
Agricultural population
2 129
Non agricultural population
24 041
Source : 2004, FAOSTAT
Land use
Cultivated surface area
21 640 000
Irrigated surface area
575 000
Number of farms
n.c.
Number of tractors
49 000
Source : 2003, FAOSTAT
Production indicators
Main crops
| Product | Production (in thousands) | Harvested surface (1000 ha) | Yield by hectare (kg/ha) |
| Sugar cane | 9654 | 69020 | 140 |
| Maize | 2193 | 3262 | 673 |
| 1005 | 4651 | 216 | |
| Manioc | 531 | 11320 | 47 |
| Bananas | 530 | 15098 | 35 |
Source : 2005, FAOSTAT
Livestock
| Specie | Headcount (in thousands) |
| Chickens | 110000 |
| Cattle | 16615 |
| Pigs | 3264 |
| Goats | 1342 |
| Sheep | 525 |
Source : 2005, FAOSTAT
Fishing (in metric tons)
| Shellfish, mollusks and cephalopods | Saltwater fish | Freshwater fish |
| 101 200 | 336 210 | 53 925 |
Source : 2005, FAOSTAT