July 14, 2022, 4:00 AM
July 14, 2022, 4:00 AM
Prenatal and lactation subsidy products such as honey, quinoa, almonds, rice, unsalted vegetable butter and diapers are delivered at more expensive prices than those found in the market. This was evidenced by THE DUTY after the claim of mothers who month after month go to dependencies of the Service for the Development of Public Productive Companies (Sedem) in Santa Cruz to withdraw their benefit valued at Bs 2,000.
For example, the 750 grams of honey that they deliver in the subsidy for a cost of Bs 47, the same amount is found in the market up to Bs 37.5. A similar situation occurs with almonds, which in the price list of the beneficiary mothers registers a cost of Bs 43 per 500 grams, while in internet offers they give the same amount for only Bs 26.
“It is really an abuse, the overpricing is evident, the cheese in the market costs Bs 30 and here (the Sedem) they give us Bs 35 per half kilo, because it only has vegetables or seeds, or it is low in sodium,” claimed one woman leaving the warehouse with her shopping cart where they deliver the products.
Just like her, Jazmín TT (another mother) indicated that the difference is notorious, that although it is understood that the national industry is encouraged, prices should be competitive. “However, prices per product rise and also reduce the variety. Before there were more than 60 items on the list, today we do not exceed 50 and very expensive on top, ”she remarked.
What’s more, in the list that they give to mothers, the diapers have a value of Bs 96, when in the market they are from Bs 50 to 40 units, of the cheapest brand.
From the Service for the Development of Public Productive Companies (Sedem) they ruled out the overpricing of the subsidy products, but announced that the contracting of new suppliers will soon be concluded.
“We have received complaints from mothers that in supermarkets they had an overprice, so we have taken in this management the forecast so that within the contracts the cause is established to be able to make a resolution of the contract with any supermarket that is raising the prices of unjustified way, to take care of the economy of the mothers. In the 2020 administration, they incorporated diapers that had a price of Bs 180, we lowered them to Bs 96”, said the general manager of the Sedem, Fátima Pacheco.
He added that in this management there is a decrease in costs of 35% compared to 2021. “We want to inform you that we comply with the distribution nationwide.
Until the month of May we delivered 317,000 packages to mothers throughout the national territory, only in Santa Cruz, two days ago, we had problems due to blockades, a situation that made it difficult for dairy products to arrive; however, the package was still completed,” said the authority.
For her part, the manager of Subsidies and Productive Articulation of the Sedem, Melisa Ábalos, announced that the hiring of new suppliers is being carried out and the process is 95% complete. After an analysis and review of the documents of the new proponents, several companies were disqualified, including two supermarkets in Santa Cruz.
