Venezuela has been a hot topic on the nightly news for the past few months, with public unrest, hyperinflation and a collapsing economy that is in freefall. After twenty years of “Bolivarian revolution” the economy of the nation that was once Latin America’s richest, with the largest oil deposits in the world, is now a basket case.
Much as Cuba, which before the communist revolution of 1959 was one of the wealthiest countries in Latin America. Last year during the months of November and December flour and eggs were absent from store shelves throughout Cuba, causing a shortage of bread and desserts all over the island. The eggs have not returned since the end of last year, and now chicken meat and cooking oil are in short supply.
Chicken meat and cooking oil are being handed to store customers by uniformed police officers at Cuban grocery stores. In March 2019 the Cuban government, which operates all grocery stores on the island, and does not allow private grocery stores, started limiting consumers to two 3lb. packs of chicken, and two liters of cooking oil per person. After sixty years of revolution the Cuban government still can’t provide basic foodstuffs to its population.
By Frank Gonzalez