Venezuela to Expand Dietary Supplement Program to All Elementary Schools

Venezuela’s government announced Tuesday it will expand the coverage of the Nutrichicha, dietary supplement, to more than 4.6 million children across the country. 

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"Starting February, thanks to a very important alliance with small, medium producers and the private sector, we will provide Nutrichicha to 4.6 million girls and boys that make up all the elementary school enrolled children in Venezuela," Minister of Popular Power for Food Carlos Leal said.

The dietary supplement is made from rice, enriched with vitamins and minerals aimed for small children and lactating mothers. The product will be given to children aged two to six every other day in school. 

According to Leal, through the National Institute of Nutrition, the coverage will increase from the current 1.2 children to 4.6 million in more than 25,000 schools across the national territory. "We are complementing the School Feeding Program (PAE) every day,” the official added, as the program began in November 2019. 

At the last conference of the U.N. Organization for Food and Agriculture (FAO) held in June 2019, the Venezuelan government emphasized that the country is making great efforts to carry out the distribution of food to its population. 

Minister of Foreign Affairs Jorge Arreaza explained that President Nicolas Maduro's administration has placed agriculture as a priority in an effort to reduce the country's dependence on oil, despite the economic and financial aggression that the United States (U.S.) government promotes against the nation.