The Exporters Corporation of El Salvador (Coexport) said that the stoppage in one of the main points of exchange between the two countries that began on Monday threatens the local economy.

There is a major roadblock at the Pedro de Alvarado border, in Guatemala, adjacent to La Hachadura, in Ahuachapán, which caused, according to estimates on Thursday, more than 80 kilometers of vehicles to wait, which translates into at least 1,500 stranded trucks.

The situation is the result of protests by international cargo drivers in Guatemalan, as a measure of pressure on the government of President Alejandro Giammattei due to increased prices of fuel and the basic food basket.

Silvia Cuellar, executive director of Coexport, when assessing this situation, said that delays are generated in the delivery of goods from Salvadoran exporters, along with an increase in the cost of transportation, plus there is a risk of loss of products and fines for possible non-compliance.

This may already result in shortages, since vegetables, raw materials, and textile, pharmaceutical, and construction supplies enter El Salvador from Guatemala, which is El Salvador’s second major trading partner.

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