00:02More than half of Honduran population earns less than $500 a month. However, the basic food basket
00:09now costs more than $600, making it unaffordable food the most. Gerardo Torres-Elaya reports from
00:15Tegucigalpa. This is an inflation which is already the highest in Central America. The cost of basic
00:23goods in Honduras has increased by more than 30 percent in just five months under the new
00:28government, severely impacting the poorest segments of the population.
00:35It affects us a lot because those of us who buy in small quantities find it quite expensive,
00:40and making enough money to bring home is quite difficult. But I'm calling on the authorities
00:47to have a change of heart because everything is expensive. The cost of basic goods is going
00:53up, and fuel prices are rising. We have young children, and the costs keep increasing.
01:04The basic food basket consists of essential products that cover the basic needs of a household.
01:09Its costs are monitored daily by the central bank and allow for understanding of the country's
01:15economic situation. Currently, many families have to decide what to buy because their income
01:20is not enough to purchase everything.
01:25These increases have been the problem we've had this year. And the drought will also affect
01:32us because an increase in beef prices is already expected. The rise in food costs and the low
01:42wages are reflected here. The minimum wage should be higher.
01:48As we pointed out, with an average monthly income of $500, a basic food basket costing $600 is
01:56beyond the reach of a large percentage of the population. Many also believe that the situation
02:02will only worsen until the social organization protests and demands that the government halt the
02:10income of $500,000 is not enough to pay for the income of $500,000. And people can no longer
02:20afford them
02:21because Honduran income is extremely low. More than 70% live in poverty and cannot meet their needs.
02:36In the months that have passed this year, the cost of living has increased dramatically.
02:44I believe we are at a point where a popular organizational structure will have to emerge
02:48to protest this and demand that the government take action because it is not doing so.
03:01So far in 2026, the cost of basic food baskets for Hondurans has increased by more than 4,000 lempiras,
03:09equivalent to about $150, an amount that prevents a very high percentage of the population from affording it.
03:17In economics, when basic collective needs cannot be met, the cycle of poverty returns.
03:22The more than 1 million Hondurans who overcame this scourge during Xiomara Castro's presidency are rapidly returning to very precarious
03:30living conditions.
03:31For Telesuron English from Tegucigalpa, Honduras, Gerardo Torres Zelaya.
03:35The more₁.
03:39The more₂.
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