Coming from Canada, I am missing my usual Jap oranges at Christmas. That always was my favorite Christmas food. So here I am living in a region where I can enjoy mandarins for at least 6 months a year and I am missing them now!
So what do I have instead? How about mangos? In Canada, mangos were the treat in the summer and I was thrilled to buy a case of 10 for $7.00. Although we have mango trees planted they are not producing so I still buy my mangos at a much cheaper price.
There are two types of mangos – those with fibre and those without. The native mango is a smaller fruit with a green skin. It contains a lot of fibre and people suck out the juice more than ‘eat’ the mango. Otherwise you need lots of dental floss. The most common hybrid mango is the Manzana or Apple Mango. It is larger, has a reddish skin, and much less fibre. Delicious! We buy them for 1 boliviano, about 25 cents, each.
When mango season just starts the best ones are purchased from the Japanese farmers at Santa Fe, just a little ways down the road. I bought my Manzanas and then the lady encouraged me to try the new varieties – Mango Platano (banana) and Mango Papaya. I thought the Manazanas were good but these were even better – and completely without fibre. And the price – same as the Manzana.
Each time we come into town we buzz down to Santa Fe for our mangos because they do not sell the newer varieties anywhere else. Jake purchased seven Mango Platano trees and the Mango Papaya and another new variety will be ready in three months. The young man says they should start producing next year. So I will have lots of mangos for Christmas but I still will miss my good old Jap oranges.
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
.... and Higher Prices
The diesel problems and other problems in the country have also led to higher prices of all commodities. We, and most other missionaries and foreigners, have sufficient money that these increases do not prevent us from doing our normal activities. This is not true for the lower middle and lower income people here. I do not buy a lot of groceries since we grow most of our veggies and we have been given meat to last us a couple of months – lots of fish and a couple of chickens.
Just a few examples that I have noticed.
A 1 kilo bag of flour cost 3.5 bs. now is 5 bs.
Sugar was 12 bs a bag, now is 20 bs.
Peanuts have risen from 5 bs to 15 bs a kilo
Rice has risen from 3-4 bs a kilo to 6-8 bs.
And these are the basic things that everyone would buy.
For the things the locals would not buy:
Cement up from 45 bs to 60 bs a bag
Bricks up from 600 bs./1000 to 1200 bs/1000
computer paper up from 25 bs to 33 bs
cappuccino frio, up to 12 bs from 8 bs;
chicken dinner, 12 bs from 9 bs.
The cost themselves are not that great but the percentage increase is great. They say that at one ‘gringo’ restaurant in Santa Cruz, the prices have doubled.
In addition to that, the people are not getting the same value for their American dollars. They are paid for their soy and rice in dollars and feel that they are getting less when they change it to Bolivianos. They used to get 8 bs per dollar but are now getting somewhere between 7.5 and 7.6 per dollar. We had a shelf built for the bathroom and the carpenter, for the first time, wanted bolivianos rather than dollars. We think that the inflation rate is about 25-30% but there are no firm statistics.
Just a few examples that I have noticed.
A 1 kilo bag of flour cost 3.5 bs. now is 5 bs.
Sugar was 12 bs a bag, now is 20 bs.
Peanuts have risen from 5 bs to 15 bs a kilo
Rice has risen from 3-4 bs a kilo to 6-8 bs.
And these are the basic things that everyone would buy.
For the things the locals would not buy:
Cement up from 45 bs to 60 bs a bag
Bricks up from 600 bs./1000 to 1200 bs/1000
computer paper up from 25 bs to 33 bs
cappuccino frio, up to 12 bs from 8 bs;
chicken dinner, 12 bs from 9 bs.
The cost themselves are not that great but the percentage increase is great. They say that at one ‘gringo’ restaurant in Santa Cruz, the prices have doubled.
In addition to that, the people are not getting the same value for their American dollars. They are paid for their soy and rice in dollars and feel that they are getting less when they change it to Bolivianos. They used to get 8 bs per dollar but are now getting somewhere between 7.5 and 7.6 per dollar. We had a shelf built for the bathroom and the carpenter, for the first time, wanted bolivianos rather than dollars. We think that the inflation rate is about 25-30% but there are no firm statistics.
Shortages
Things are changing in Bolivia but because I do not understand what is happening, I do not feel that I can comment on what is going on behind the scenes but I can tell you how it impacts the community.
The major problem we have faced for the past two months is a severe diesel shortage. There has always been a sensitive diesel situation and we always made sure that we filled up whenever we were in town, just to be safe. However, since October the situation has escalated. This is the time for soy harvest and rice planting all at the same time so the amount of diesel needed in agriculture alone from September through January is substantial. Then add to that all the truck transport that carried all the goods through the country. There is no other means of transportation for the animals, vegetables, fruit, sugar cane, cotton and all the other products that are either used within the country or exported to neighbouring countries.
Because the price is controlled by the government there has been no increase in cost, just in supply. News reports say that the imports of diesel are down by between 60 and 70%, thus the shortage. When the shortage first became evident we noticed often two of the three stations in town would be out of diesel and there would be a line up of 4 or 5 vehicles at the other station. Then the line ups started to get longer and longer. It became very frustrating when trucks with a couple of tanks and 4 or 5 barrels would need to be filled. We calculated the average fill would take about half and hour. But in Yapacani you could take your jerry cans and get them filled while they waited between trucks.
To be honest, we never had to wait a really long time in Yapacani but the situation in Santa Cruz was much more serious. We have one friend who waited from 10 in the evening until 3 in the morning to get his truck filled. Another waited for three hours and when he got to the pump they were only giving 6 liters per vehicle.
A couple of days ago we purchased some extra gas and diesel and now we have enough to carry us through a minor shortage. Often when we come to town there is no gasoline and we use that for the quad and the generator. Technically, the stations are not allowed to sell gasoline in jerry cans but we found a place that will sell it if we don’t want a receipt. Another one of these wonderful laws that are set to control the gasoline being purchased for drug production!
Yes, I know that you pay way more for gas and diesel that we do but you know when you go to the station that you will be able to get the vehicle filled.
The major problem we have faced for the past two months is a severe diesel shortage. There has always been a sensitive diesel situation and we always made sure that we filled up whenever we were in town, just to be safe. However, since October the situation has escalated. This is the time for soy harvest and rice planting all at the same time so the amount of diesel needed in agriculture alone from September through January is substantial. Then add to that all the truck transport that carried all the goods through the country. There is no other means of transportation for the animals, vegetables, fruit, sugar cane, cotton and all the other products that are either used within the country or exported to neighbouring countries.
Because the price is controlled by the government there has been no increase in cost, just in supply. News reports say that the imports of diesel are down by between 60 and 70%, thus the shortage. When the shortage first became evident we noticed often two of the three stations in town would be out of diesel and there would be a line up of 4 or 5 vehicles at the other station. Then the line ups started to get longer and longer. It became very frustrating when trucks with a couple of tanks and 4 or 5 barrels would need to be filled. We calculated the average fill would take about half and hour. But in Yapacani you could take your jerry cans and get them filled while they waited between trucks.
To be honest, we never had to wait a really long time in Yapacani but the situation in Santa Cruz was much more serious. We have one friend who waited from 10 in the evening until 3 in the morning to get his truck filled. Another waited for three hours and when he got to the pump they were only giving 6 liters per vehicle.
A couple of days ago we purchased some extra gas and diesel and now we have enough to carry us through a minor shortage. Often when we come to town there is no gasoline and we use that for the quad and the generator. Technically, the stations are not allowed to sell gasoline in jerry cans but we found a place that will sell it if we don’t want a receipt. Another one of these wonderful laws that are set to control the gasoline being purchased for drug production!
Yes, I know that you pay way more for gas and diesel that we do but you know when you go to the station that you will be able to get the vehicle filled.
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