https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/poverty-matte...
> But despite the severe scarcity Venezuelans are not going hungry. The Food and Agriculture Organisation has said that the Latin American nation more than halved malnutrition indices to less than 5% since Chávez came to power. It gives partial credit to the government-run network of food distribution chains known as Mercal, which delivers subsidised food in shops across the country. And yet food has gone missing, and queues outside food shops often wrap around the block.
It also is probably the difference b/t government and non-government stores to a degree but the real culprit seems to be:
> For Oliveros, an additional cause for the shortage of basic food staples is the decrease in agricultural production resulting from seized companies and land expropriations. "More than 3m hectares were expropriated during 2004-2010. That and overvalued exchange rate destroyed agriculture. It's cheaper to import than it is to produce. That's a perverse model that kills off any productivity," he says.
They destroyed their agricultural system years ago and the government just can't afford to keep spending like they used to with the oil prices where they are now.
Store shelves that are well-stocked, like those in this bakery near Zerpa’s house, are typically full of non-essential items set at sky-high prices
My question is whether or not that store is accessible to everyone (as described by my father, in the USSR the 'diplomatic' stores were not open to regular citizens) and if the prices are extortionate or merely market priced.
The root of those questions are whether or not an actual economy could be bootstrapped underneath the current mess or if it is too late for that. It is a sad story either way.
Another interesting situation in Poland was fuel rationing. Many things were rationed, but if you were a foreigner entering the the country in the mid '80s you could by coupons for X liters of gasoline. Then you did not even have to wait in the long lines at fuel stations. It was not unheard of people buying stolen fuel under a bridge or in a forest.
Most stores were bare because when inventory came-in it was quickly purchased. Since the prices were controlled people had enough zloty but not enough to spend it on so buying items like paper was desirable because later you could barter it for items you needed on the black market.