Venezuelan military takes charge of new food distribution system to control shortage

Caracas July 13: In a decree,President Nicolas Maduro has allowed the military to take over food distribution in Venezuela with the country being repeatedly battered by one crisis after another.

The government’s bid is aimed at curbing chronic food shortages and comes amid dire warnings from the opposition against granting sweeping powers to the military in the oil-driven economy.

Maduro signed the decree on Tuesday, 12 July, giving Defence Minister Vladimir Padrino, the chief of armed forces, the necessary powers to control the distribution system amid daily riots.

Venezuela’s military has taken control of five ports in an effort to guarantee supplies of food and medicine.

The socialist leader’s latest move creates a new entity called Supply Command, which would deal with the purchase and distribution of staple items such as food, medicines and other essentials.

Henceforth, the armed forces can technically force private players to direct their sales towards state-run bodies. The step has been dubbed as a “matter of the nation’s security and defence”.

A combination of skyrocketing prices and shortage of food supplies has put Venezuela, which has one of the world’s largest oil reserves, in a steep economic crisis.

While Maduro blamed his adversaries such as the US for waging an “economic war” against Venezuela, his domestic political opponents point fingers at the decaying socialist system of managing the economy.

Venezuela grows and produces very little except oil and has historically relied on imports to feed its people

Oil prices have plummeted leaving the government with a shortfall of income

A lack of dollars means it is struggling to import all the goods its people need and want

The socialist government introduced price controls on some basic goods in 2003 to make them affordable to the poor

But up to 40% of subsidised goods were smuggled across to Colombia to be sold at a profit