However, the economy is in such shambles that drivers are now paying for fill-ups with a little food, a candy bar or just a cigarette. Without cash in their wallets, drivers often hand gas station attendants a bag of rice, cooking oil or whatever is within reach. This barter system, while perhaps the envy of cash-strapped drivers outside the country, is just another symptom of bedlam in Venezuela. Gasoline prices are a deadly serious matter in Venezuela. About 300 people died in 1989 during riots that erupted after the president at the time ordered a modest rise in fuel prices.

Source: Taipei Times October 26, 2019 16:07 UTC