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"We are closed during the season due to shortage of milk,"
the famous Coromoto ice-cream store in the highland town of
Merida announced on its Facebook page.
Locals confirmed that the shop, hugely popular among tourists
for its exotic and strange flavours ranging from beer to beans,
had been closed since Christmas Eve.
A sign on the door asked customers' forgiveness "for not
attending you due to the lack of milk."
Venezuelans have been suffering acute shortages of basic goods,
from toilet-paper to spare tires, all year due to an economic
slowdown, the highest inflation in the Americas, and the impact
of strict currency controls.
President Nicolas Maduro's socialist government says foes in
Venezuela's opposition and wealthy elite are exacerbating
economic problems by hoarding and price-gouging in what he terms
an "economic war" against him.
The shortages have annoyed Venezuelans across the political
spectrum and contributed to a fall in Maduro's popularity, with
one prominent local pollster putting him on 24 percent approval
- less than half when he was elected last year.
(Writing by Andrew Cawthorne; Editing by Mark Heinrich)
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