CARACAS, Venezuela — The head of a supermarket chain taken over by the Venezuelan government rejected on Sunday charges that the company was hoarding foodstuffs to destabilize the economy, arguing that its warehouse had only three days’ supply of basic goods.

“They know there’s a huge issue with food scarcity in Venezuela and they do not want to be responsible,” José Vicente Aguerrevere, the chief executive of the Día Día chain, said of the government.

He said that he did not know why his company was singled out Friday when President Nicolás Maduro ordered the chain of 35 small supermarkets in 16 cities to be “taken over” by a government-operated network of grocery stores.

The takeover was ordered after the government accused private businesses and right-wing enemies of being responsible for the nation’s serious economic problems, which have gotten worse as the price of oil, the country’s only major export, has fallen.