Updated 08:10 AM EDT, Fri, Mar 29, 2024

Venezuela at Risk of Food Shortage, Food Company Polar Seeks Foreign Aid

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Venezuela finds that they are on the verge of political turmoil, despite it being only less than a month that the new opposition-controlled National Assembly has been sworn in. As the opposition begins to dig its claws into President Nicolas Maduro's government, Venezuela's economic state is not faring any better, as the country is in danger of encountering a food shortage.

Venezuela is currently facing the worst economic crisis in decades. Shortages in basic commodities have become so bad that President Nicolas Maduro has advised citizens to become producers of food in their own home, stating that he and his wife, Cilia, raise 50 chickens themselves, Fox News Latino reports.

However, the solution to the country's food shortage problem might not be as easy as growing one's produce. Food and drink producer, Polar, urged the Venezuelan government to seek foreign aid as soon as possible to prevent the collapse of the country's food supply, a report with Wall Street Journal said.

The shortage in basic commodities such as rice and milk has become such a problem that Venezuelans have taken to lining up in front of supermarkets as early as dawn in hopes of getting their hands on the scant supplies. Looting and food shortages have become commonplace.

Last year, Polar protested the Venezuelan government's seizure of one of its food warehouses in Caracas. They warned that hostile takeovers by the government could only make the supply problems worse.

Lorenzo Mendoza, the company's CEO, appealed to Maduro and his government, and told them of Empresas Polar SA's state. He added that if no proper action is done soon, many Venezuelans will be affected.

Maduro, on his part, has accused Polar and Mendoza of being the primary cause of food shortages in the country. The country's crippling inflation has also given Polar problems, as the lack of dollars has left the company with a $370 million debt. Mendoza said that the company was forced to close down eight of its facilities.

He argued that the government's efforts to solve the problem are not working. The government is currently importing billions of dollars worth of food from Brazil and Nicaragua. Venezuela's association with private food processors said that the cost of imports cost the government 18 times as much as locally made products.

Looting incidents in the country have turned deadly, as hungry Venezuelans storm supermarkets. Even purchasing Polar's corn floor, a food staple for many Venezuelans, has become a chore, as government regulated products become a rare find on supermarket shelves.

Henrique Capriles, who was in the presidential race against Nicolas Maduro in the last presidential election, said that this will show just how dire the economy in Venezuela has become.

"The farther you get from the capital, the worse the economic situation is," he said.

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