3 weeks of protests in Panama cause food, fuel shortages

By KATHIA MARTÍNEZ
Associated Press

PANAMA CITY (AP) — Three weeks of continuous demonstrations and road blockades to protest high fuel and food costs in Panama have begun to cause shortages of some food products, fuel and medicine. The closures, including of the Pan-American Highway, have forced the national electric company to ration electricity in Darien province, which borders Colombia. Tankers carrying gas to run the power generation plant have not been able to arrive. Some 7,000 families have been affected by the reduction of electricity to 11 hours daily. In Panama’s main wholesale market that supplies both supermarkets and individual consumers, there was little foot traffic Wednesday. Display tables usually stacked high with produce had far less on offer.