Food is becoming increasingly scarce in Communist Venezuela. Citizens are digging through trash, relying on tropical fruits that fall from trees, and in some cases rioting and looking in search of their next meal. More than 600 political and food-related protests took place nationwide in May alone.
The cost of food has accelerated faster than wages, which decreases purchasing power after years of policies to keep food prices low. Those policies have reduced incentive for private food production. Inflation is expected to reach 700 percent by the end of 2016.
Electricity and water are regularly cut, and nationwide productivity is hovering around 40 percent of capacity. And the government, instead of working to alleviate the crisis, is instead focused on its fight to halt a presidential recall referendum.
Even children are facing famine. Students and teachers (between 30 and 40 percent in Caracas) are skipping school to stand in line for food while the incidence of students fainting in the classroom is on the rise.
Families, domestic NGOs and others are doing what they can by sharing resources, soliciting donations from food companies still manufacturing domestically, etc. “An entire generation could suffer from stunted physical growth or mental capacities due to the severe malnutrition we’re seeing today,” said Marianella Herrera, a professor of nutrition at the Central University of Venezuela.
Slowly, over the past several months, the combination of inflation, scarcity, and low domestic production has meant a growing struggle simply to feed one’s family, says Phil Gunson, senior analyst for the International Crisis Group. “Ordinary people have not been getting enough to eat for some time, but now the situation means we’re hearing of families where one kid doesn’t eat at least one day a week, or parents go without food to give what little they have to their children,” Mr. Gunson says. “We’re not talking about just the really poor or people living under bridges. We’re talking university professors, paramedics, professionals.”
Oil buoyed up the social programs under the Chávez regime. When oil prices plunged, Venezuela was left with virtually nothing. And the political choices of the socialist government have exacerbated the situation. The government has prioritized paying off government debt instead of importation of basic necessities.
The Maduro administration has refused to acknowledge the crisis, meaning that no international or multilateral aid has been able to get into the country.
People are desperate. Up to 10 lootings occur every day across the country, from bursting through a bakery door to clear the shelves to ambushing food delivery trucks before they reach their destination.
“You can feel this tension,” says Herrera. “When you don’t have food or medicine, when babies are dying and children are fainting: People are really affected and it’s evident that time is running out.”
“And there shall be famines…” Matthew 24:7
Comments
Laverne
Monday July 4th, 2016 at 08:00 AMA disturbing glimpse into the future during the little and big time of trouble. Lord help us to take heed and grow our own food before it is too late. Trouble is coming. Get ready! Get ready! Get ready!
Courtney Edwards
Monday July 4th, 2016 at 08:40 PMWhile it is fair to include the economic stresses as “famine in divers places”..I believe that the Venezuela crisis is best described as “distress of nations”. I come to this conclusion because the crisis is in the main, man made. The Chavez government miscalculated that oil revenues could buy an economy. They then instituted polices that isolated the country from world trade; and destroyed the country’s economic infrastructure. In much the same fashion was destroyed the economic infrastructure of the forner Soviet Union.
This isolation would have also caused western governments, including the USA to force the Venezuela government to abandon communist policies; and which was brought on by the economic isolation of the country.
It’s the effect of this economic isolation that we are seeing in the food shortages and political unrest.
This is again not so much a “famine” as described in the prophecy; but moreso a picture of not being able “to buy or sell”; except for those having the “mark of the beast”; and with the “mark of the beast” being your alliance with the religio politico governments of the west.
Denise
Friday September 9th, 2016 at 02:13 PMWhile I acknowledge Venezela’s current days as a crisis, we most recognize that throuout human existance there have always been similar conflicts. The difference is that there wasn’t Internet to spread the news and other happenings, in matter of just a few minutes. There have always been unrest, tribals fiought since the genesis of human life. What there wasn’t was a media with the now days technology. Something I worry must about is the wide world use and abuse of dangerous street drugs, which are often domestically made. The over population of the world is another serious problem; in India, couples in their 60-80sh have found the way to become parents throug IB fertilization . When these couples are asked how are they going to provide for their children been their dire lack of resources. “God will provide, ” they say. Many elderly couples, and single women late in the third age are loaning money from private banks to pay for IB. Nevertheless, they struggle to feed the children once they arrive. with all the stresses we face, why add negative predictions to clutter one’s mind?