A toilet paper shortage has left people in Venezuela fighting to stock up on toilet paper. The government has said the toilet paper shortage is an anti-Bolivaran conspiracy.

After decades of dysfunction and economic instability, Venezuelans are used to shortages of certain medicines, and some food items like butter and sugar at times-but the scarcity of toilet paper has caused grave concern.

Maria Rojas, 70, said "Even at my age, I've never seen this," Rojas told reporters that she had been searching for toilet paper for two weeks. Eventually, she found some at a private supermarket in downtown Caracas.

Rolls flew off the shelves of the supermarket in Caracas as customers raced in and loaded up their shopping carts.

I've been looking for it for two weeks," Cristina Ramos said at a different store. "I was told that they had some here and now I'm in line."

President Nicolas Maduro, who Hugo Chavez selected while dying to continue his "Bolivarian revolution," believes that anti-government forces are causing the toilet paper and other supply shortages in an attempt to destabilize the country. These forces, he claims, include both the public and private sectors. As a reaction, Maduro announced his government would import 760,000 tons of food and 50 million rolls of toilet paper.

Commerce Minister Alejandro Fleming said that normally, monthly consumption was 125 million rolls of toilet paper, but that they believed "that 40 million more are required", so they would "bring in 50 million to show those groups that they won't make us bow down."

Fleming said the shortage may have been hype-he claimed that  "excessive demand" for toilet tissue had been created thanks to a "media campaign that has been generated to disrupt the country."

At one supermarket where they had toilet paper, Maria Perez said she "bought it because it's hard to find," as she walked out with bags stuffed with rolls of toilet paper.

Perez is used to shortages, she said. "Here there's a shortage of everything - butter, sugar, flour," But she's worried now, "because there always used to be toilet paper."

Venezuela's shortages of some products is a result of price controls intended to make basic goods available to the poorest parts of society; and, too, the result of government's controls on foreign currency, according to analysts. In April, Venezuela's scarcity index reached its highest level since 2009. The inflation rate over the last year has jumped to nearly 30 percent.

Customers in Caracas found toilet paper at stores by word of mouth, and those that were known to have fresh supplies were filled with shoppers trying to divert a bathroom emergency.

Finance Minister Nelson Merentes said the government was addressing consumer issues due to a lack of foreign currency, which, in turn, has lead to a lack of raw supplies, limiting the production capability of Venezuelan companies.

"We are making progress ... we have to work very hard," Merentes said to reporters.

Many Venezuelan factories are operating at half capacity due to currency controls that make it difficult to buy imported parts and materials. Some companies teeter constantly on bankruptcy because they can't extend lines of credit with foreign suppliers.

Customers who endure long lines for bathroom supplies like toilet paper and staples like sugar, butter and medicine are becoming less and less patient.