On the last Saturday in March the broad Avenida Bolivar in the heart of Venezuela's capital was transformed into an open-air, government-run "mega-market". Shoppers, mainly from poorer parts of the city, formed orderly queues to buy food at officially regulated prices-something that is often impossible in ordinary shops. "How can there be scarcity in a country with so much land and resources?" asked Ramon Diaz, a pensioner, as he rested on a bench after doing his shopping. "Who controls the supply of meat? The oligarchy has it monopolised."
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