The prices of 18 of the basic food products in the Dominican Republic have fallen by at least 20% since August 2004. This statistic comes from five retailers associations, and was validated by El Caribe reporters who toured different parts of the nation’s capital. According to the traders, this reality, combined with salary increases over the last year have effectively increased the average Dominican family’s purchasing power, accounting for 50% of sales in markets and foodstuff warehouses. Agustin Penalo, of the Federation of Foodstuff Retailers, confirms in this context, a report from the Central Bank that says that trade has increased by 14.9% so far this year. According to the numbers reported by the associations, the cost of rice has fallen by 40% and soy cooking oil by 40%. However, research showed that the retail prices were slightly higher in some “colmados” in Villa Juana and La Fe.<\/p>\n
The newspaper points out that while the prices of some products have decreased just as the peso has appreciated in value (by 40%), some items have resisted similar price decreases, especially alcoholic beverages.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The prices of 18 of the basic food products in the Dominican Republic have fallen by at least 20% since August 2004. This statistic comes from five retailers associations, and was validated by El Caribe reporters who toured different parts of the nation’s capital. According to the traders, this reality, combined with salary increases over … <\/p>\n