2023-10-08 22:37:35
On the seventh consecutive day of protests, The shortage of main consumer products extends to other departments, because some transport unions have chosen to suspend shipments due to the risk of being stranded.
Héctor Fajardo, director of the Chamber of Central American Transporters (Catransca) and the National Transport Coordinator (CNT), indicated that already It was up to the decision of each union to continue with the transfer of merchandise or suspend the routing.s to prevent them from being stranded due to a blockage.
Fajardo affirms that since Friday, October 6, the situation has worsened, because There are few routes where trucks can pass and the blockade in Aguilar Batres is one of those that has harmed them the most.
He also highlighted that there are some transport unions such as Ayutla, San Marcos and Puerto Quetzal in Escuintla, which issued statements where They tell their associates not to provide the service because they put the product and the drivers at risk.
Given this situation, Fajardo said that it was agreed that Each union evaluates the situation and if they are affected by the conditions of the country that do not expose the cargo or its drivers.
“The carrier bears the costs of having shipments paralyzed, we cannot risk the drivers or the means of transportation,” he warned.
Fuels
Enrique Meléndez, executive director of the Guatemalan Association of Gasoline Retailers, stated that supply is irregular and during the periods in which the blockades are removed, they manage to get through with some pipes, although they assure that the stations themselves have suspended orders.
Meléndez adds that there are places where they definitely could not enter, mainly in Western regions such as Totonicapán, Sololá, Huehuetenango and Quiché.
However, he asserts that a phenomenon also occurs in the face of blockades, and “less movement, less fuel demand.”
“As an association we do not have any position or position, possibly on Monday the 9th, Now each station makes its decisions and orders are still generated, although they are irregular.”, he pointed out.
He stated that until this weekend they have had no problems supplying fuel to the stations in the capital city and surrounding municipalities.
Food is scarce
Enrique Lacs, Executive Director of the Guatemalan Chamber of Beverages and Foods, says that since Thursday, October 5, inventories began to run out in supermarkets throughout the country, because The trucks have not been able to pass and consumers have been “in panic” and they have hoarded the products, mainly food.
“This has caused inventories to be depleted more quickly, There are places where there are no vegetables, in Chiquimula, Izabal, Jalapa and Zacapa the products were scarce,” he stated.
This situation, according to Lacs, has caused the prices of the few products in stock to increase, mainly in the markets.
Lacs stressed that it is already a “national level” issue because there are supply problems in the city.
“There are companies that have already suspended the departure of vehicles with perishable products to avoid losses,” he said.
Lack of medicines
In Huehuetenango, vendors agreed to open the markets. However, Residents from other border municipalities are scheduled to join the protests.
Meanwhile, problems begin to arise, such as lack of garbage collection from homes, propane gas, fuel and vegetables are in short supplyalthough the latter are grown in Cuchumatanes and that is where they have been extracted for sale.
Another serious problem is that private hospitals are at the limit of oxygen, and medicines and special formulas for premature babies run out.
#Food #shortages #widespread #country