Rationing in Nicaragua direct hit. Trade and investment plummeted, unemployment soared to 25 percent, and inflation reached more than 36,000 percent by 1988. From 1980 to 1990, Nicaragua’s average real per capita income fell 35 percent, and the incidence of poverty rose to 44 percent. Rationing in Nicaragua In 1984, the FSLN announced rationing for 20 basic goods, including rice, sugar, milk, and toilet paper. At this time, the FSLN were fighting an expensive war against the Contra guerrillas who were funded by the Reagan Administration. The FSLN tried to stabilize the economy by focusing more on the production of export crops and
Rationing in Cuba palm fronds. It was estimated in the early 2000s that the rationing covered between one third and one half of a family's needs. President Raul Castro moved to eliminate many products from the rationing system, including potatoes and peas. The "libreta" is not the only means of acquiring goods available to a Cuban citizen, as many of these and other products are freely available on the "mercado libre" (free market) and "mercado paralelo" (parallel market), and in the numerous supermarkets and stores that sell goods in convertible pesos. (Such stores were originally set up taking United States Dollars and were