Caracas, June 3, 2025 — Venezuela will host the first Agroalba 2025 Expo-Fair on June 5 and 6, a project designed to strengthen food sovereignty among the member countries of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America–Peoples’ Trade Treaty (ALBA-TCP), as well as other allied nations, announced the Executive Secretary of the regional bloc, Jorge Arreaza, on Tuesday.

In a press conference held at the headquarters of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in Caracas, Arreaza reaffirmed that this expo-fair aims to “generate a model of food sovereignty. We invite the media to disseminate everything that has emerged from the Bolivarian Alliance. This is a win-win opportunity for the countries willing to make their lands available.”

He emphasized: “In our countries, more than 58 million people need to meet their basic needs in such a turbulent world. We have more than 2,258,000 square kilometers, and in the case of ALBA Azul (fishing production), 8,315 kilometers of coastline, 243,588 kilometers of continental shelf, and over one million square kilometers of Exclusive Economic Zone. We have extraordinary potential, not only to ensure food security, but to genuinely speak of food sovereignty across ALBA.”

He stated that Agroalba is open to countries in the Caribbean region, South and Central America, and even nations in Africa. “This initiative originated in Venezuela, and the ALBA Secretariat is grateful to President Nicolás Maduro for Agroalba,” he added.

The Executive Secretary detailed that the expo-fair will feature meetings among ministers from productive sectors, along with representatives from invited countries and investors, with the aim of establishing a negotiation model.

On the other hand, Venezuela’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Yván Gil, stressed that Agroalba is a program that will strengthen the member countries of the Alliance. He also pointed out that Agroalba 2025 will bring together the capabilities of the bloc’s countries to highlight their strengths in areas such as food, agriculture, and more.

Gil emphasized that ALBA member countries possess significant capacities for food production, which he highlighted as a key advantage in the face of imperial tariff-based aggressions.

The Minister for Industry and National Production, Alex Saab, underscored that Venezuela, under the guidelines of the National Government, produces 98% of the food it consumes and stated: “We have achieved food sovereignty, which means we have millions of hectares available to continue planting, supplying, maintaining production, and also begin exporting. We have the land, the human capital, and the raw materials.”

Likewise, the Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture of the Bolivarian Government, Juan Carlos Loyo, stated that the expo-fair will be essential for creating a network of researchers who will begin to unify criteria regarding sustainability and productivity to harness ALBA-TCP’s maritime resources. “Agroalba and ALBA Azul will provide support to all nations,” he added.

Finally, Venezuela’s Minister for Productive Agriculture and Lands, Julio León Heredia, reaffirmed that Agroalba is open to all countries around the world and will serve to strengthen agriculture, as well as mechanisms for soil evaluation and knowledge sharing to make better use of the land.