Lack of sugar stops Coca-Cola production in Venezuela

The Venezuelan Coca-Cola filling plant has ceased the production of the sugary drink due to lack of sugar, the PR service of Coca-Cola has announced.

Venezuela is in the midst of a deep recession in which lack of food, power cuts and the largest inflation in the world are causing frequent spontaneous demonstrations and looting.

The production of sugary drinks has stopped, but the distribution of diet drinks like Coca-Cola Light and other sugar-free drinks will continue, the PR Kerry Tressler wrote in her email.

- Sugar procurers in Venezuela have informed us that they are temporarily stopping the production due to lack of natural sources – Tressler added.

Price regulation, increase in production costs, lack of foreign exchange, restrictive labor law and lack of fertilizers have all led in the last few years to a drop in sugarcane production due to fewer hectares being used for planting and poorer harvests.

A lot of farmers have turned to other cultures whose prices are not regulated, which makes them more profitable.

It is expected that Venezuela will produce 430,000 tons of sugar in the 2016/2017 season and that it will also import around 850,000 tons of raw and refined sugar, the USDA informs.