October 9, 2024, 2:29 PM
October 9, 2024, 2:29 PM
The heavy downpour that fell early this Wednesday morningor stopped the long lines of people who go to the offices of the Food Production Support Company (EMAPA) in search of rice.
For several weeks, food has been sold at a high price in the markets of Santa Cruz. Given this, the government enabled the state stores to meet the population’s requirements, but the product does not reach everyone.
In images spread on social networks, several people can be seen lining up at the Emapa facilities in Santa Cruz. Some complained about the delay in care and the limited supply for the population.
Many people chose to sleep outside the state office to buy rice and other basic foods that they must purchase conditionally to be able to access grain. After the rain fell, many protected themselves with ponchillos and the first ones they found on hand to avoid getting wet.
Despite this, the majority had to endure the rain to purchase rice and other basic products at fair prices in the Emapa stores, located at kilometer 8 of Cristo Redentor Avenue.
Some arrived at 4 in the morning to make sure they got an arroba of rice, sold at 50.50 bolivianos, a lower price than in regular markets, where it costs 100 bolivianos.
Despite the inclement weather, citizens took off their shoes and endured the precipitation. One of the buyers expressed her frustration: “We came early, it rained, but there is no other option, it is very expensive in the market.”
Others commented that, despite waiting up to two hours in the rain, they prefer to face these conditions rather than pay the high prices that currently prevail in the markets.
The long lines are not only recorded in Santa Cruz, the panorama is similar in several cities in the country. In Oruro, The situation is similar, there the rice is sold one arroba per person and only 70 spaces daily so several buyers choose to arrive at Emapa at dawn.
In Tarija, in the peasant market, several people came to buy at the office of the state company in this region. People asked to expand the sales quota to be able to supply the needs of residents of this department.
The severe drought affected rice production. This has caused the little grain that was harvested to be sold at a high price. Added to this is the smuggling of food to neighboring countries.
