SAN ANTONIO, Venezuela, (Reuters) – Thousands of Venezuelans streamed into neighboring Colombia yesterday to take advantage of a temporary opening of the border to buy food and medicine unavailable at home in their country’s collapsing economy.
Socialist President Nicolas Maduro shut the border last year in an effort to crack down on smuggling of subsidized products. Venezuela’s product shortages have since worsened, creating further incentives to buy goods in Colombia and bring them back.
A plunge in global oil prices have left the OPEC nation’s government unable to maintain lavish subsidies created during the rule of late President Hugo Chavez, while currency controls have left businesses struggling to obtain raw materials and machine parts.
Venezuelans routinely spend hours in lines at home seeking items ranging from corn flour to cancer medication to auto parts. Shoppers complain of violence in lines, and looting is on the rise.
