Herrera expressed that it is necessary to be elaborated, discussed and implemented “Urgently a strategy with clear actions to relieve the pocket of Guatemalan families before the prices of the basic basket. We want people to reach money to get ahead without having to fight to get to the end of the month. ”
He said that the strategy should be continued so that the population is more informed about the places where there are more accessible prices.
However, he explained that it is important to have a strategy from the Gabeco, that allows mitigating poverty, stabilizing the economy and ensuring that public policies respond to the most urgent needs of the Guatemalan population.
This, promoting equity, well -being in all sectors, mainly in the most vulnerable, “those who hopefully manage to reach the end of the month with what they win, and Those who invest a lot of transporting their jobs daily “.
The proposal, said the vicemandatary, is to formulate a strategy from the cabinet, compared to the cost of living to serve the most vulnerable actors.
This proposal was approved, and was appointed Ministry of Economy, which at this meeting was represented by the Vice Minister of Foreign Trade, Héctor Marroquín, so that “urgently” it is convened to those who are considered necessary to prepare said Integral strategy that addresses the cost of living focused on the protection of the most vulnerable population.
The official said that the strategy must be ready within two weeksand raised an extraordinary meeting to analyze and approve it.
Herrera said he requested that the strategy be prepared based on the data presented by the National Statistics Institute (INE) in relation to the consumer price index (CPI) and basic basket corresponding to January 2025 and based on comments that Receive about the population regarding the difficulty in covering the cost.
Also, information on fuel and electricity prices will be taken into account released by the Minister of Energy, Víctor Hugo Ventura, and what was stated by the Secretary of Segeplan, Carlos Mendoza, regarding what happened last year in prices for prices for See the inflection points, and what was stated by the Deputy Minister of Communications, Fernando Suriano regarding the policies of taking investment to the departments and municipalities, said the official.
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Inflation and basic basket
At the president of the Bank of Guatemala (Banguat), Álvaro González Ricci, he explained that As of January 2025, inflation closed at 2.19% reflecting stability at the general price level.
According to the INE, the spending divisions that presented the highest monthly variation upwards were housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels; In addition, transport, alcoholic beverages, tobacco and narcotics, restaurants and accommodation services, educational services, among others.
By products they mentioned, mangoes, consumption of electricity, peaches, diesel, lemons, gasoline and others.
On the decline, furniture, equipment and routine maintenance of the home, food and non -alcoholic beverages were reported, as well as information and communication.
If the main monthly incidents per product are observed in January, the consumption of electricity, followed by gasoline, potatoes, beer, diesel and others are in place. And downward, tomatoes, chicken eggs, fresh chicken meat.
- The cost of the basic urban food basket was recorded in January in Q904.63 per person, and the rural in Q699.17, very similar data compared to December 2024.
- Regarding January 2024, these figures are Q5836 and Q44.77 represent 6.9% and Q6.84%, more respectively.
Gas and electricity
Ventura exposed in the cabinet about fuel prices and electricity.
The official said that gas importers told them that operating costs and One of the issues they mention is that transportation logistics has become more expensive. That fuel had no increases in January, but during February it has already registered two increases.
60% of the LPG is imported by the Pacific and the other 40% by the Atlantic and then distributed in trucks (cisterns) and that is the main source of the increase in the price of gas in the country.
Ventura said that it is an issue that must be analyzed, and are asking for support from the Ministry of Economy and the respective vice ministry to analyze the Competition Law in that sector, Since there are price increases that are not justified, and that will be analyzed in other meetings that are scheduled with the vice minister.
Regarding the issue of electricity, the minister explained that what happened in January 2025, is that for the consumer segment between 89 to 100 kilowatts time a month the contribution for the subsidy to the social rate was dentalized. This factor was discussed with the Board of Directors of the National Institute of Electrification (IND) and from February of this year the subsidy for that group of consumers were resumed.
Ventura said that effect that could have had corresponds to 165 thousand families, and consider that the effect, of price increase reported in January in the cost of services, it seems disproportionatealso that it is the consumption of the month of January that was definanced and is the one that is invoiced, but not at the beginning of that month but in the end.
During the year, the Gabeco established 21 strategic results within the annual work agenda (ATA) for 2025.
Four axes will be worked: as a labor market, market development, nature and environment, revitalization of the productive sector.
I have requested in the #Gabeco That urgently a strategy with clear actions to relieve the pocket of Guatemalan families before the prices of the basic basket is elaborated.
We want people to reach money to get ahead without fighting for … pic.twitter.com/91qsovjjbo
– Karin Herrera (@karinherreravp) February 25, 2025