India to Launch Pilot Projects in Venezuela Across Key Sectors

India and Venezuela have also agreed to cooperate in pilot projects in the agricultural, pharmaceutical and digital infrastructure sectors after a visit by Raul Hernandez, the Vice-Minister of Development of Information and Communication technologies in Venezuela. Other topics in the discussions that were held in New Delhi during the period between September 14-17, 2025, included capacity-building in AI, space cooperation, and tourism. The partnership is amidst a mounting conflict between the U.S and Venezuela especially following the accusations of drug trafficking by President Trump.

Key Points in Detail

Collaboration Areas

• Pilot Projects: Pilot projects will be implemented in priority sectors in India and Venezuela:

• Agriculture: Solving food security and improving agricultural output.

• Pharmaceuticals: Dwelling upon the Indian pharmaceutical export to Venezuela, which includes vital medicines and vaccination.

• Digital Infrastructure: Scale up digital public services and technology in Venezuela, putting special emphasis on AI and capacity building.

• Training and Capacity Building: Venezuela showed a desire to send its technical staff to train in India, specifically in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) and other areas.

Trade and Economic Cooperation with Japan.

• Trade: In 2024-’25, bilateral trade between India and Venezuela is 1.8 billion dollars with India exporting 216 million to Venezuela and imports 1.6 billion.

• Drugs: India is the source of approximately 40 percent of yearly pharmaceutical requirements in Venezuela, estimated at about $110 million in 2024-2025. India has also supplied as a grant basis, vaccines and other vital drugs to Venezuela to solve urgent health demands.

Diplomatic and Strategic Interaction.

• High-Level Meetings: Hernandez held a meeting with Secretariat (East) P. Kumaran of the Ministry of External Affairs, and also held discussions with the heads of key institutions, including:

• National Institute of Smart Governance (NISG).

• UIDAI (Aadhaar Digital Identity)

• NeGD (DigiLocker)

• AI BHASHINI

• Agriculture and Livestock: India and Venezuela also mentioned the further development of the cooperation in the sphere of agriculture and livestock, with reference to food security and sustainable agriculture.

Context of Cooperation

• U.S.-Venezuela Tensions: U.S.-Venezuela tensions are another factor that led to Venezuela reaching out to India especially following allegations by President Trump against Venezuela in the drug trafficking business. Consequently, Venezuela is seeking to enhance its relationship with countries like India in terms of strategic and economic collaboration.

• Latin American Perspective: According to the experts, the actions to strengthen the relations with India are the response of Venezuela to the aggressive approach of the U.S. to Caracas, and Russia and India might be able to provide another system of relations.

Importance of the Partnership.

• Partnership Diversification: In the case of India, such partnership will create new prospects in Latin America, especially in agriculture, healthcare, and digital infrastructure.

• Strategic Alignment: A common interest in the enhancement of relationships in the face of changing global balance of power, especially in the field of energy and technological advancement, can also be found in the partnership.

• Local Influence: In the case of Venezuela, India will be a constant and reliable ally, especially in important areas like healthcare where Venezuela is experiencing shortages and high prices by Western origin suppliers.

Conclusion

The increasing relationship between India and Venezuela in terms of pilot projects in the sphere of agriculture, pharmaceuticals, and digital facilities indicates the aggravation of bilateral collaboration between the two nations. As the tension between Venezuela and the U.S. escalates, this alliance is not only a boost to Venezuela in its areas of need but also a boost to the Indian power in Latin America. In UPSC's case, the focus of this development is international relations, economic diplomacy and India's position in South-South cooperation in the world.