Food shortages worsen as farmers and ranchers cease to produce at less than it costs to produce the food and central planning espouses such nonsense as growing corn in swamps, instead of sugar cane.
Growing one's own food in urban gardens is the latest effort. Rather like victory gardens of WWs I and II, not a bad idea, as long as the government doesn't seize the produce.
"On a recent weekday, just a few miles from where the government was holding military exercises preparing for a foreign invasion, about a dozen senior citizens were gathered in a classroom learning about another war-time innovation.
“Vertical gardens were pioneered during World War II,” a teacher said as he instructed them on how to turn plastic bottles into planters that could be hung on a wall or balcony. “We need to take advantage of every space possible.”
This is Venezuela’s latest weapon in its battle against hunger: urban agriculture."
Desperation time:
"A poll by DatinCorp in April found 86 percent of those surveyed bought “less” or “much less” food than they used to, and only 54 percent said they ate three meals a day.
Petra Meneses, a retired 66-year-old doctor, said the soaring prices of vegetables had driven her to get serious about home gardening. In her neighborhood, a bag of green peppers is running about 1,800 bolivares — that’s about $4 dollars, or almost a tenth of her monthly social security check."
"Many farmers blame government neglect, expropriations and populist price controls for strangling rural development. Rice, sugar and corn — staples of the Venezuelan diet — all cost more to grow than they can be legally sold for, according to the Federation of Agriculture. "
This story is reminiscent of the old Soviet Union. Retirees made a few extra rubles by standing in line for shoppers,\.
"The regulated food that does make it to the store is often scooped up by bachaqueros, people who buy food and household goods to resell them at huge markups on the black market. As a result, while the regulated price of an egg is 14 bolivares, it’s nearly impossible to find one that costs less than 100 bolivares."
http://www.miamiherald.com/new...article79422092.html
Last week, the last brewery went off line as they couldn't find the stuff to make beer. This week Coca Cola did the same as no sugar could be found.
Love how president Maduro keeps warning of an American invasion -- really! Could anyone believe Obama would invade? Not only a communist nation, but a really screwed up one. Obama doesn't want another mess on the last months of his watch.
Too bad one of Maduro's body guard couldn't have a weapons malfunction resulting in the demise of Maduro.