'Going Full Hugo Chavez': Bukele Expands Farmers' Markets in El Salvador to Fight Price Gouging Practices

President Nayib Bukele compared himself to the late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez after announcing that Farmers’ Markets, an initiative of the Agriculture Ministry of El Salvador focused on offering lower prices to Salvadorans in selected items, will be permanently open. These markets are the latest weapon brandished by Bukele to bring prices down, having accused wholesalers and distributors of price gouging before.

President Nayib Bukele Presses on With Farmers Markets Initiative – a La Hugo Chavez – in El Salvador

President Nayib Bukele is now fighting against food speculators and price gouging practices in El Salvador, comparing himself with the late Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez. After giving an ultimatum to food importers and wholesalers last week, declaring they were “abusing” the people of El Salvador, Bukele has gone full offense by expanding the reach of the so-called Farmers’ Market in El Salvador.

Farmers’ Markets are points where Salvadorans can acquire a limited number of items at prices dictated by Bukele’s government at lower prices. Bukele stated that he would double the number of these markets, and maintain them open all week long, instead of only on weekends.

He declared that due to Farmer’s Markets now “producers and importers tell me they can lower prices even more due to the increase in sales and the fact that they can now also buy their supplies wholesale.” “Since the middleman is no longer extorting them and their profits have tripled, they want to support this new scheme with part of their windfall,” he concluded.

At the same time, Bukele’s administration has unleashed a wave of inspections in different food selling points and assigned fines to over 88 companies with activities at different levels of the food supply chain.

Bukele’s comparison with Hugo Chavez has to do with applying the same tactics as the late Venezuelan president when facing similar issues. In his government, Chavez pushed for popular subsidized markets where the population could acquire food and other items at lower prices.

This, however, finally resulted in the government delivering food and bonuses directly to people as these institutions failed to fulfill their objective amidst a wave of corruption allegations surrounding their operation.