Price of chicken and food soar in Lima after wave of violence and looting in Huancayo

The consequences of the transport strike, which escalated last Friday, April 1 in Huancayo (Junín), are feeling greatly in Lima and Callao. Not only is the price of chicken and other foods becoming even more expensive, but some vegetables are also becoming scarce.

TV cameras in Peru toured some markets in Lima, where some merchants pointed out that “people don't have money.” They also pointed out that people are already starting to buy food in less quantity or are simply choosing to stop buying such a product.

“People now buy 100 grams of arverjitas from you or don't buy you, because of the economic situation we are all going through,” one merchant told the Peruvian news.

Thus, when touring three markets in the capital, they found a variation in prices that reflects the rise in food. TV Peru explored the Señor de Muruhuay Market (San Juan de Miraflores), Market No. 1 in Surquillo and the San Roque Market (Surco).

As for the price of chicken, they found that in San Juan de Miraflores (SJM) it is sold at S/8.2 soles per kilo, in Surquillo at S/10.5 soles and in Surco at S/11.5 soles.

But other foods that also experienced a rise were lemon, pineapple and papaya. In the case of the first: In SJM it is sold at S/3 soles, in Surquillo at S/6 soles and in Surco at S/4.5 soles.

Pineapple and papaya are sold at the same price both fruits, and they register prices of: S/4.5 soles (SJM and Surco) and between S/4.5 and S/5, in Surquillo.

On the other hand, there is no supply of carrot in the markets. And the price of potatoes, tomatoes and onions is already beginning to rise, and the peas are now sold at S/ 13 or S/14 soles.

This rise in prices occurs when inflation in the country is reaching levels that have not been perceived for decades. According to economist and political analyst Miguel Santillana, figures from the National Institute of Statistics and Informatics (INEI) indicate that:

“The national inflation rate for March is 1.5, the highest in the last 10 years. Cumulative inflation in the last 12 months, since March 2021, is 7.46: also the highest in 10 years. If one analyzes only for the city of Metropolitan Lima, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) is 1.48, the highest inflation in 26 years. The same is true for the CPI for Lima (region), which is 6.83: a figure not seen in more than 20 years.”

The price of chicken has gradually increased slowly, and economist Jorge Carrillo Acosta points out that the increase in Peru is a direct consequence of the international increase in maize and wheat.

“When the pandemic started there was a supply problem, because we were all confined to the house and then the same amount was not sold. But when the restrictions end there was a global overdemand and this caused the price of corn to skyrocket. And it was normal due to the context of the pandemic, but it was expected to normalize in 2022. However, with the issue of Ukraine and Russia, the problem was detonated again, because Russia and Ukraine are among the top 5 producers of corn in the world, they are known as the granary of Europe,” he pointed out to this media outlet.

In the case of vegetables, the average price increase is 107%, according to the Report on Income and Prices in the LARGE WHOLESALE MARKET OF LIMA del Midagri. In this case, it has greatly influenced the increase in the international price of oil, which “at one point was almost $150 a barrel,” according to Carrillo Acosta. Currently, this hydrocarbon would trade at $100, but it continues to remain at a higher price compared to last year.

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