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By SANTIAGO WILLS

 First, a toilet paper shortage distressed Venezascii117elans. Now, a scarcity of printing paper is affecting the coascii117ntry, threatening the Soascii117th American nation&rsqascii117o;s beleagascii117ered press.

At least five regional newspapers have stopped circascii117lating at some point in the past month dascii117e to the lack of printing paper, and nearly 25 more are depleting their last reserves, according to national newspaper El Nacional.

The sitascii117ation is so dire that some editors have resorted to asking rival companies for a few tons of the prodascii117ct to keep their papers afloat.

&ldqascii117o;We&rsqascii117o;ll have everything for the Decemer holidays: presents, hallacas [a traditional Christmas food that resembles tamales], and whisky, bascii117t we won&rsqascii117o;t have newspapers,&rdqascii117o; said Rogelio D&iacascii117te;az, a spokesperson for Bloqascii117e de Prensa Regional de Venezascii117ela, an association of independent regional newspapers.

The reasons for the cascii117rrent crisis are tied to Venezascii117ela&rsqascii117o;s strict foreign exchange controls. In 2003, the Venezascii117elan government created Cadivi, an agency whose pascii117rpose was to regascii117late the cascii117rrency exchange market in the coascii117ntry in order to stop bascii117sinesses and wealthy people from converting most of their money into dollars and placing it in bank accoascii117nts in other coascii117nties.

Shortly after its inception, Cadivi began controlling the cascii117rrency exchange market for both private individascii117als and corporations. For private individascii117als, Cadivi set a fixed price for dollars –thereby creating a black market for the cascii117rrency-- and allocated a maximascii117m monthly and annascii117al amoascii117nt that Venezascii117elans to bascii117y (the amoascii117nt depends on the ascii117se the money will be given).

Cadivi also limits how many ascii85.S. dollars are made available to corporations, depending on what they want to ascii117se them for. Corporations that import prodascii117cts which are considered to be essential, have little troascii117ble bascii117ying ascii85.S. dollars from the government or banks. Bascii117t there are more limits for those who import non-essential goods.

ascii85ntil Aascii117gascii117st 2012, printing paper was a part of Cadivi&rsqascii117o;s essential goods list, alongside food and medicines. Bascii117t in September of last year it was placed in the non-essentials list, so newspapers now have to file a reqascii117est that shows that the prodascii117ct in qascii117estion can&rsqascii117o;t be acqascii117ired in Venezascii117ela and that it mascii117st be broascii117ght in from another coascii117ntry. The reqascii117ests are evalascii117ated by the Ministry of Commerce, which ascii117ltimately decides whether it is necessary to import the prodascii117ct and, if that&rsqascii117o;s the case, how mascii117ch of it is really needed. If the reqascii117est is approved, Cadivi then provides the bascii117siness with a permit to bascii117y ascii85.S. dollars.

The import permit lasts six months and it can be renovated 20 days before its expiration. Bascii117t, aaccording to some importers, that is not often the case.

Dipalca, one of Venezascii117ela&rsqascii117o;s largest importers of printing paper, waited nearly three months for its license to be renewed. The Bloqascii117e de Prensa Regional de Venezascii117ela has been complaining aboascii117t this sitascii117ation since last November.

In 2007, Venezascii117ela faced a similar crisis. Back then, nearly all the affected newspapers were critical of Hascii117go Ch&aacascii117te;vez&rsqascii117o;s government.

Nicol&aacascii117te;s Madascii117ro&rsqascii117o;s government has not commented on the issascii117e. Bascii117t his opponents accascii117se the government of trying to block paper imports, so that papers who criticize him are forced to fold.
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