Citizens woke up to the reality of shortages. The meat stalls were closed and there were queues due to the lack of rice at the sales points. Added to this is the increase in prices of the family basket, which leaves families with growing concern.
The price of a kilo of beef has increased, which causes the product to increase in price for the final consumer by up to 10 bolivianos. Second-class meat is at the level that first-class meat was a week ago, and this has levels that are almost prohibitive for lower-income families.
The increase is attributed to marketers, who are intermediaries between livestock farmers and those who sell at retail. Producers are concerned about how this speculative measure by those who only market affects them. There is also concern among restaurant owners, who will increase the prices of lunches and a la carte dishes. The worst thing is that all this will make waiters, cooks, etc. lose sources of employment, leaving more hopelessness.
Many surveys carried out in Bolivia indicate that, apart from the economic crisis in general, there is a lot of citizen concern about the lack of jobs. It is enough to talk to taxi drivers to realize that informally things also go wrong. Drivers express that they must work many more hours to equal their income to what they received one or two years ago.
Nor is the reality of new professionals who are forced to emigrate or generate income in activities that are very far from the area in which they were trained. Architects working as steakhouses, doctors driving taxis, etc.
In the agricultural sector, the climate, the lack of dollars to import inputs, the shortage of fuel and other factors that affect production have determined that the harvest is at least a third lower than in previous administrations, which endangers the food security and the quality of life of Bolivians.
The crisis is a reality that hits very hard and the horizon is not encouraging. Those who carry out prospective analysis of the national reality predict a 2025 that will be the same or worse. This will be complicated with the upcoming pre-electoral stage.
So, it is worth asking the pre-candidates and the Government itself, what is the plan to improve the lives of those who will be asked to vote. In the case of the president and his cabinet, until when will they continue focused on the internal fight with Evo Morales and without addressing the current economic depression?
It is urgent to think about Bolivia and make fundamental decisions to improve the current reality.
