The Government today announced a campaign to reduce the prices of basic products such as common staple food items, which will begin to take effect on November 5, in the main supermarkets, as well as wholesale and retail stores in the country.
The President of the Republic, Santiago Peña, received this Tuesday representatives of the Paraguayan Chamber of Supermarkets (Capasu), the Paraguayan Industrial Union (UIP) and the Chamber of Wholesale and Retail Commerce of Paraguay (Comampar), in order to analyse measures that contribute to the finances of citizens, with a view to the end-of-year festivities.
The first phase will be in place from November 5 to November 20. The second phase will start on December 8 and will last until Christmas.
Discounts on the prices of basic products will range from 20 to 40 percent. They will be marked with their respective signs so that people can purchase them without any problems. The list of products on offer will be announced soon.
Presidential spokeswoman Paula Carro said that the campaign is the result of an alliance between the government and the private sector. The intention is to work to facilitate mechanisms so that the products with the greatest impact on the basic basket are accessible throughout the year.
“The president does not want just a temporary campaign to lower prices that lasts only a few weeks, he wants permanent work between the public and private sectors to build that synergy that will allow us to avoid price increases,” he said.
In turn, the head of the UIP, Enrique Duarte, said that they had a pleasant meeting with the president, who instructed them to seek the least possible fluctuation in the prices of basic products that make up the basic basket, through a public-private alliance.
Empowering fruit and vegetable producers
“Another of the issues discussed with the president is to find a way to empower Paraguayan fruit and vegetable producers, taking into account that these are sectors that work in a very precarious manner. These two chambers will collaborate to be able to supply them and, above all, to conduct business with them, in order to ensure annual purchases,” explained Duarte.
The aim is to establish a kind of permanent commercial alliance with annual purchases and no longer occasional ones, he said, aiming to keep prices of basic products stable as well as lower.
“In this way, producers will achieve higher incomes and resellers will achieve better prices to reach people’s pockets,” stressed the head of the UIP.
