Within the framework of the measures promoted by the government against inflation, the Consumer Protection Office (DC) has continued to verify the prices of different products in the basic basket throughout the supply chain.
To date, this work translates into 114,000 inspections carried out, of which 76,000 have been carried out in the food sector and 4,000 in agricultural inputs.
The president of the DC, Ricardo Salazar, stated that the verifications carried out in recent weeks have identified a drop in the prices of eggs, beans, corn, and dairy products, such as hard cheese, for example.
In the case of beans, Salazar mentioned that the prospects for supply are positive, both from the import side and from local production. This consideration was also confirmed by Alonso Martínez, a seller on Gerardo Barrios street, who mentioned that the prices of this grain have dropped and have gone from above $80 per quintal to $75.
Likewise, in reference to eggs, the head of the institution stressed that the price has stabilized at $3.50 per carton, after weeks of speculative increases.
“The Consumer Protection Office continues with this important effort, giving attention to this very important issue of verification to stop the price escalations that have occurred on an international scale in different products of the basic basket. In recent weeks, there has been a decrease in prices », he highlighted.
For his part, the Minister of Agriculture, Enrique Parada, assured that constant monitoring has been carried out in the countries that supply El Salvador with some products and it has been determined that there is no shortage; he also agreed with the president of the DC that there are no increases in the prices of basic grains.
“There is no scarcity alert in any category. Nor have we found hikes for speculative reasons,” said Parada.
He also reported that more than 6,000 expired products have been withdrawn from the market by the institution. These items, in poor condition, were destroyed and a sanctioning process was initiated against the responsible company that may end in sanctions.
On the other hand, Salazar indicated that around 270 companies are being investigated for unjustified price increases. In addition, he pointed out that 55 cases have been submitted to the Sanctioning Court, which could receive fines of up to 500 minimum wages.