Rising Meat Prices in Santiago

In Santiago, sellers and butchers are facing rising prices for livestock and pigs, putting them in a difficult position. Despite this, the meat remains affordable for consumers. People keep coming because the meat here is fresh, high-quality, and guaranteed, says Alfonso Sánchez. Meanwhile, there is also good news for the festivities: fresh gandu beans have arrived. Vendors and butchers warn that the price of livestock and live pigs has gone up, leaving them struggling to keep their businesses alive as competition grows. 'The price increase is scaring away profits and leaving less margin to work peacefully,' said butcher Edwin Hernández. Traders are asking authorities to review what is driving the rise in livestock and pig prices, because if this continues, keeping fresh meat on the table will become increasingly difficult. At the public market in Santiago, the people who make a living from meat are having a hard time. The Santiago public market remains the trusted point for Veraguense families who want freshly slaughtered meat with that artisanal touch that cannot be found in any frozen aisle. Producer Grisel Concepción, from El Pedregoso (Santa Fe), reported that the traditional grain is now on sale. 'Costs are going up and that affects us a lot, because we have to maintain quality and continue to offer fresh meat, as people look for it,' she explained. She claims the fight is unequal when competing with large supermarkets. 'The bag is at $3.00, it's fresh, quality gandu, direct from our hands to the consumer's table,' she said, remembering that demand skyrockets when Christmas and New Year's approach. 'They handle enormous volumes, here one works day by day, purely by hand.'