As if most Venezuelans are not having enough problems dealing with shortages for basic goods like milk, bread, flour, beans, cheese, shoes, toilet paper, and even bread and wine for church communions, now they may soon have another worry. Venezuelan toy stores are beginning to run out of toys. Why? Because the rigid socialist exchange controls have effectively stopped import companies from bringing in toys from abroad (mostly China since 80 percent of the world’s toys are made in China). While there may be many toys now, leading Venezuelan import companies can no longer import any more toys, and with the Christmas season coming up, the chances are high there will be few or no toys on the shelves. According to many leading toy import companies, they must stock up on toys now so they can meet demand come Christmas time.
Like everything else in Venezuela, the shortages are the result of state monetary controls that are killing business and making artificial shortages that should not exist at all. Some small traditional Venezuelan toy making companies see this as maybe a blessing in disguise. If toys cannot be imported, it means that those small Venezuelan companies that make traditional Venezuelan toys might benefit. This is a possibility since traditional Venezuelan toys are often made of wood, and do not cost much. It might be a replacement for those toys that cannot be imported. However, even the small traditional Venezuelan toy companies may have problems of their own since the same rigid socialist currency controls that are preventing the leading toy import companies from bringing in toys may also prevent the small toy making companies from making toys since capital is being restricted.
Even when Venezuela’s close ally, Cuba, is beginning to gradually abandon the rigid socialist controls that have hampered economic growth there, the Venezuelan government is embracing Communist ideals that are being rejected elsewhere (except in North Korea). Venezuela is certainly not strapped for cash because of the country’s oil and natural gas reserves. Add to this the amount of gold mined in that country, and you should have a people whose needs can be easily met. There should be no shortages, and certainly not for basic items. For the children, it is that much worse because it looks like they will not be able to enjoy having things to give them cheer during the holidays. Suffer the poor children for they are being sacrificed on the altar of Communist political orthodoxy.