Socialism is reaching its unavoidable conclusion in Venezuela where President Nicolas Maduro has begun introducing food rationing. A new food card will be issued to citizens called the “Secure Food Supply” card that is aimed at combatting hoarding and reselling. Shoppers apparently buy food which is heavily subsidized and resell it on the black market to secure profits.
“If there are shortages, there needs to be rationing to make sure we can all get the products we need,” said doctor Yusmery Palacios, 36, in a line at a state-run supermarket in Caracas.
“It’s a measure that will help us. A lot of people buy here to resell for more,” she said. Others in the queue agreed.
Hardline opposition sympathizers, though, decry the card as a copy of Cuba’s ration books – a depressing sign of economic hardship and what they call “Castro-communist” influence inVenezuela.
“No to the Cuban package!” said one opposition leader, Maria Corina Machado, who frequently depicts the Maduro government as being under the influence of Cuban President Raul Castro.
Critics say the card fails to tackle the roots of shortages in Venezuela: a lack of hard currency for imports, dysfunctional ports and absurdly low prices for subsidized goods.
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