It is no secret that hunger has hit the Venezuelan population since many years ago due to several causes like scarcity, inflation, corruption and bad politics. However, populations near the Colombian border have a different dynamic towards food, medicines and other daily supplies that gives them the edge on facing the harshest crisis in Venezuela’s history.
In Táchira, just a few miles away from Colombia, food situation seems less painful than in the rest of the country: shelves are not empty, there’s a constant flow of supplies coming from abroad (although illegal) that ensures people a possible living. Also, this State produces a lot of vegetables and meat not only for its consumption but also nationwide. Nevertheless, food access is still a great problem because of one important thing: inflation.
All Hail Inflation
The bolivar soberano (national currency) is not the main currency nowadays there: the Colombian Peso has taken its place. Due to the huge inflation in the country, prices of goods increase from once per week to twice per day, depending on the money exchange prices at Colombia and the black-market dollar. Because to this instability, Venezuelans rely on stronger currencies like dollars or euros to make business ranging from simple food to even houses and cars (but pesos are more affordable and easier to get). There’s no place in Táchira where you can’t trade with the Peso: from large warehouses, industries and government places to even fast food stands on the streets. This has favored contraband and imports from Cucuta, helping to stand against scarcity. But it must be noted that those importing wares are usually persons connected to the government party or to some political group or the military.
Informal Sales
Bolívares are not so often used as paying in normal supermarkets due to lack of cash. Also, the huge volume of bills you must carry to buy anything discourages people to do so. Electricity and lack of internet connection and proliferation of informal vendors has rose to great levels in the State. Most people have power plants to combat the constant blackouts.
You can go to popular zones and see persons with tables outside their houses selling rice, pasta, flour and many other products in Colombian pesos. Regularly, the profit is not too high as competition is wide. Also, small legal businesses are selling Colombian products by sorting out all legal importations rulings and accepting pesos or dollars at the current exchange price down in Cúcuta (the nearest Colombian town).
Is There Really Hunger in Táchira?
Although you can find supplies everywhere and there’s enough food production in the State, inflation keeps hurting the purchase capacity of citizens: with a salary of less than 3$ per month (legal minimum wage) there’s not too much to do when one 1kg of meat costs roughly US$3.00, 1 kg of tomatoes or potatoes cost US$0.6…and that’s just for food. Also, the usage of peso as commercial currency affects citizens without the capacity to charge their services with it. According to rights defense NGO’s, the basic living index reached US$110.00 by September. Quite a disaster, isn’t it?
Besides the Retailer’s market you can find these “distributors” who do wholesales of both local and Colombian products strictly in pesos.
Outside the Retailers’ Market you can find these small posts selling both Colombian and Venezuelan products in pesos (Colombian currency). You can find from food to personal care items.
