Blockades in Guatemala affect trade with Mexico

Guatemala city. More than a dozen roadblocks in Guatemala initiated Monday by the rise in fuel prices, which includes the closure of three main customs, affect trade in Central America and local revenue, a Guatemalan tax chief said yesterday.

“There is an affectation to the transits that go to all the countries of the Central American region, both at the level of imports and exports,” declared Werner Ovalle, Intendant of Customs of the Superintendence of Tax Administration (SAT) of Guatemala.

The protests, organized by a union of cargo and passenger carriers, which have been joined by other groups, seek the government of President Alejandro Giammattei to apply measures to lower the price of fuel in the country.

The cuts, some carried out intermittently, remain in various towns on the Inter-American highway and other areas to the west. In addition, the protesters blocked the passage on both roads of the three main Guatemalan customs with Mexico and El Salvador, where extensive lines of stranded heavy-duty trucks are reported.

Ovalle explained that through Tecún Umán II (southwest), one of the blocked customs, “85% of the commercial exchange at the level of cargo transport passes” between Mexico and Guatemala where, due to the closure, more than a million dollars a day.

While in Ciudad Pedro de Alvarado (southeast), where there are some 14 km of lines of trucks waiting to cross into El Salvador, “almost most of the containers pass” between the two countries, he said. There, the Guatemalan authorities have losses of about 840,000 dollars a day.

“You have to take into account that we are in the peak season of operations due to the approaching Christmas holidays,” added Ovalle, warning that one of the concerns is containers with perishable products such as fruits and vegetables.

Several businessmen have asked that the steps be released.