Condoms and other contraceptives are seen by some as the only way to prevent premarital pregnancy and the spread of STDs. (Photo : Reuters )
A pack of 36 Trojan condoms cost US$755 in Venezuela and it has been revealed why such item is sold at a very steep price, Bloomberg Business revealed.
According to MTV, US$755 is already the amount of monthly wages of people working in the country. The pack of Trojans posted in an auction website in Venezuela has caused a buzz. Due to this report, a research has been conducted in order to know the reason for such a high price and according to the findings, oil exports have to do with the problem of the Venezuelans.
The United States has been producing oil locally and so the gas prices have started to fall since last year. Also, cars being developed are becoming all the more energy-efficient thus less gas is being used.
Venezuela is a country stricken with HIV and high teen pregnancy rates due to contraception concerns as it is not easily available in the country. The country sells oil and the progress of their economy relies heavily on oil exports. The foreign currency of the country is dependent on oil as in 95 percent of it is reliable on the money it makes by selling oil to overseas countries.
Due to the development on oil production in other countries, Venezuela is forced to lower their prices despite fewer transactions compared to the past years. This goes without saying that the country has lesser money to spend for the necessities that are compulsory for their citizens.
President Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela reportedly tried to handle this economic setback by cutting down their imports but this is a huge problem since most of the supplies the country needs are from imports from overseas countries thus the shortage of basic products in the entirety of the country is being experienced by the citizens.
Basic products include medicines, toilet paper, deodorants, condoms and a whole lot more. Resident have to line up outside groceries and pharmacies before such necessities sell out since they sell out fast. Some Venezuelans try to get condoms, birth control pills, and other contraception-related items via the black market or online purchases.
Jhonatan Rodriguez, the general director an non-government organization called "StopVIH" said in a statement, "Without condoms we can't do anything. This shortage threatens all the prevention programs we have been working on across the country."
