VENEZUELAN trade unionists yesterday rubbished claims by food giant Polar that the country was short of maize.

Polar, also Venezuela’s largest brewer, stopped production of PAN cornflour at three of its mills in Cumana, Chivacoa and Turmero, saying that there was a shortage of grain.

But United Polar Food Workers Union (Sutap) leader Henry Ascanio told daily newspaper Ciudad CCS that maize was pouring into the Turmero plant where he works “night and day.”