Venezuelan fertilizer plant Monomeros Colombo Venezolanos, Barranquilla, Colombia, has been returned to the control of the government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, according to the governments of Venezuela and Colombia. A new Board of Directors is in place, and a new plant manager has been named.
Since 2019, the plant was controlled by a Board appointed by Venezuela opposition leader Juan Guaido (GM June 14, 2019). Guiado’s control allowed the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets (OFAC) to lift sanctions on the fertilizer company and better allow raw materials to be supplied.
The Maduro government has regained “total and absolute” control of Monomeros, said Venezuela Oil Minister Tareck El Aissami on state television on Sept. 22, according to Bloomberg. El Aissami said the Monomeros plant was totally idle, rather than fully productive when the Maduro was in control. He said the first boat carrying raw materials to resume Monomeros’ operations would arrive in the coming hours. He said the opposition “destroyed” the Monomeros facilities.
Monomeros’ production capacity decreased from 1 million mt in 2017 to 600,000 mt in 2020 due to “bad administration” from the opposition management, said Pedro Rafael Tellechea, Head of Petroquimica de Venezuela SA (Pequiven), the parent company of Monomeros. He said in 2021, Monomeros began reselling raw materials. Most, if not all of the production is believed to be DAP/MAP.
Maduro appointed former Pequiven Western Plant Manager Ninoska La Concha as the new Monomeros General Manager, and an arrest warrant has been issued for former opposition-appointed General Manager Guillermo Rodriguez Laprea. El Aissami said new evidence on mismanagement by opposition leader Guaido is being presented to Venezuelan authorities.
“We have requested the initiation of an investigation in Colombia against those responsible,” said El Aissami. “Sooner rather than later we hope that they are captured, detained, and brought to justice in Venezuela”
Soon after the August inauguration of incoming Colombian President Gustavo Petro, Columbia re-established relations with Venezuela and the countries have since traded ambassadors. Petro and Maduro are expected to attend a reopening of the border of the two countries on Sept. 26, according to Bloomberg, and the first flight of Venezuelan airline Conviasa is expected to arrive in Bogota on Sept. 26.