The sanctions-hit industry has been further hurt by restrictive licenses and unreliable intermediaries.

The Attorney General’s Office and the National Assembly pledged to investigate the assassination of Carlos Bolívar.

“We do not care what imperialism or the oligarchies think about the political, social, and economic life of Venezuela,” said Maduro.

Carlos Bolívar was a key figure in the rescue of Los Tramojos landstead against a powerful landowner, a landmark case in the country’s land struggles.