While politicians make it long and continue without defining how to solve social conflict, micro and small companies (mypes) try to survive with great difficulty, with many debts on top, low sales and attacks and threats against their businesses. About to start school classesuniform manufacturers, for example, have a bleak outlook for the campaign, which, unlike the previous two years, arrived without sanitary restrictions, which caused greater expectations.
Susana Saldaña, president of the Gamarra Business Association, explained to this newspaper that this season represents approximately 10% of total sales. She explained that if before the pandemic S / 600 million were sold for the manufacture of these garments, this year the expectation is that the figure reaches 50%.
There are an average of 1,500 uniform producers in the emporium. 40% of what they manufacture is distributed within the country, but roadblocks and uncertainty prevent shipments from arriving.
“There are entrepreneurs who come to buy the fabrics for them to manufacture the uniforms in their regions, but they have not been able to travel because they do not know if there will be a stoppage, or even if the classes will be face-to-face in their areas as expected,” he commented.
In addition, he indicated, the school season becomes relevant because it is the one that opens the doors to the winter campaign, that is, it can become a thermometer of what will happen in the following months.
“The mypes that produce for the school campaign were affected when the classes were remote and, unlike other sectors, they were paralyzed for many more months. Today this happens to us and leaves us with this uncertainty of what will happen in the winter season, ”he assured.
FOOTWEAR
School uniforms also include shoes, and in this area the outlook is not so hopeful either. The president of the Association of Footwear and Related Producers, Víctor Zamudio, assured that the manufacture of the product has fallen due to fear of whether or not there will be a demand.
“The most effective production was done in January, but unfortunately it is still very slow. We hope things improve because we want to work, ”he assured this newspaper.
Before the health crisis, they produced at approximately 80% of their capacity. After the pandemic and, with the return to face-to-face classes, this year they expected to be close to 2019 levels; however, they are only at 35%.
“The protests, the roadblocks, all of this has hit us and has worsened our situation to produce. This is something that occurs at the national level, so the entire sector is feeling bad. It is the worst crisis that we have had to experience ”, he highlighted.
The problem is not only to send the finished product to the regions, but in certain cases, explained Víctor Zamudio, some manufacturers use leather from other departments, such as Arequipa, and today they cannot bring it to Lima.
DATA
The import of school supplies totaled US$1,484,525 between August and December 2022, according to data from the Lima Chamber of Commerce.
Said amount was above the US$608,373 registered in the same period of 2021, the union reported.
