Food Shortages in Venezuela: Drawing the Line?

Shortages of basic food products in Venezuela are estimated at 80 percent, which means that 80 percent of these products are not available at a given store at a given time. Lines to buy whatever products might arrive at mostly empty supermarkets start before dawn. Food shortages have brought the Maduro government’s popularity to an all-time low and are testing its mechanisms of control. Tellingly, lines to comply with the government’s requirement that individuals validate their signature for a recall referendum organized by the opposition were also very long.

Food shortages in Venezuela are a consequence of economic policies enacted by former President Hugo Chávez and continued by his successor, Nicolás Maduro. Specifically, food shortages are the result of exchange control policies, price controls, and expropriation and nationalization. These shortages might be the downfall of the Maduro regime.

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