Consumers suffer price hikes due to protests

The crisis that Panama is currently experiencing, In the foreground comes the expression of how much the prices of basic products in the country have risen.

He to increase There seems to be no end to produce such as cabbage, lettuce, bananas, tomatoes, carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes, etc., which have even become rare in some parts of the country and where their price has increased in some cases by more than 100 %.

Although in July 2022. One of the demands was to reduce the high prices of food, but this was not achieved, on the contrary, with this new wave of protests recorded in the country, which have lasted for more than 15 days, they have increased.

The latest report that records Codecwhich corresponds to the month of September, before the waves of protests that took place in the country against the Government, some products have already reflected an increase in their costs, both in mobilization and in supermarkets.

For example, a diamond showed an increase of 20 cents, from 2.18 dollars per kilogram to 2.36 dollars, lettuce also increased in price by 17 cents, or from 3.23 dollars per kilogram to 3.41 dollars.

Similarly, Domestic tomatoes rose 26 cents, from $2.27 per kilogram to $2.53, while cassava rose 4 cents to $1.33 per kilogram, up from $1.29 previously.

However, for the last week of October and the first week of November, increase and shortage of products He was noted in many affairs in the national territory.’

$1

One banana per unit is sold, as advertised.

4 dollars

dollars and even more, is the price at which lettuce that arrives from Chiriquí is sold.

In this sense, while visiting some companies, It was found that, for example, half a kilo of lettuce can currently cost more than 4 dollars, a green banana is sold for up to 1 dollar per unit, half a kilogram of onions up to 2 dollars, and cabbage for 3 dollars per kilogram.

In addition to the existing situation, a new increase is expected for the holidays at the end of the year, since producers have recorded losses that they have to transfer to consumer.

Considering what’s going on, Pedro Acosta, representative National Union of Consumers and Users of the Republic of Panama (Uncurepa)he stated that the protests are legitimate and have achieved their goal, but that they affect all Panamanians.

He explained that in the case of food, there are already those that are deficient, This is because I cannot go from one side to the other.

He explained that when Demand increases due to shortages, prices rise.

“At the moment there is no supply, in some parts of the Republic there is no gas for cooking. I saw people paying 85 cents and one dollar a piece for bananas that were ripening.”

Acosta described “worthless” what is happening, especially due to the increase in the price of some basic products.

For days now, various sectors have been asking for the establishment of a Humanitarian corridor for transporting food and supplies.

Recently, Lorenzo Jiménez, president of the Association of Mountain Area Producershe asked for a solution to this problem which caused millions of losses.

He pointed out that the losses are incalculable and yes Even those who closed did not allow people to go and provide the necessary care to their crops.