Page Seven / La Paz
Due to the shortage and the rise in the cost of corn, producers announce an increase in the price of pork, while in the markets other products of the family basket such as chicken meat become more expensive: the kilo rose from 14 .50 and 15 bolivianos.
The president of the Departmental Association of Pig Farmers of Santa Cruz, Jorge Méndez, announced an increase of 2 bolivianos per live kilo of farmed meat due to the lower supply and higher grain prices. “In the market, a kilo of leg is 14 and 15 bolivianos and I estimate that it will now be sold at 17.50 and 18 bolivianos, but even so this meat is the cheapest,” he stressed.
He added that last year at this time the price of corn was 45 bolivianos and now it is 106 bolivianos; In addition, the cost of vitamins rose by 30% and a ton of soybeans, which used to cost 1,850 bolivianos, now cost 2,550 bolivianos and it is estimated that in June it will be offered at 2,800 bolivianos.
According to Méndez, the war in Ukraine is far away, but its effects are already in the country. “It turns out that Ukraine used to produce 43 million tons of corn, but now it barely gets half of it and in the United States there were bad harvests; the only place where there is a good harvest is Argentina, that is why we have asked the government to import corn from there,” added the head of Adepor.
The high cost of the containers influences the vitamins that are imported.
The manager of the Food Production Support Company (Emapa), Franklin Flores, indicated that the state company signed an agreement with the sector to deliver 45 tons of corn per pig producer.
“In Santa Cruz, corn was delivered to 93 producers to keep meat and production costs low. Emapa collects 100 Bolivians and sells at 65 Bolivians, the difference is the subsidy paid by Bolivians. We call on Adepor to reflect on it”, he pointed out.
A kilo of pork chop on Munaypata street in La Garita is sold for 24 bolivianos and the rib for 28 bolivianos and vendors say that it has not gone up yet.
In markets on July 16 in El Alto the previous week a kilo of ribs was sold for 23 bolivianos and now it is 25 bolivianos.
In the Lanza and Uruguay markets, vendors pointed out that the price of a kilo of chicken, which in mid-April was 11 bolivianos, is now between 13.50 and 14.50 bolivianos.
In the Rodríguez market, Unitel reported that a kilo is even sold for 15 bolivianos.
The Minister of Productive Development, Néstor Huanca, said that the rise in the price of chicken and pork is not justified because the producers receive subsidized corn. “We ask producers of pork and poultry meat not to affect housewives. In addition, the oilseed companies deliver 35,000 tons of soybeans to the livestock sector at a fair price at a fair price,” the authority remarked.
The bulk liter of oil rose from 8 to 12 bolivianos, butter from 9 to 12 bolivianos per package, the box of 100 eggs became more expensive from 75 to 80 bolivianos.
The arroba of potatoes is at 45 bolivianos when before it was sold at 30 to 35 bolivianos, the arroba of Peruvian onion went from 25 to 40 bolivianos and the national one from 20 to 30 bolivianos.
The pearl rice increased from 55 to 60 bolivianos, the package of noodles (6 one-pound units) from 30 to 32 bolivianos.
