This week, alarm bells rang as El Salvador’s public debt approaches the amount of its gross domestic product (GDP), according to a report from the Central Reserve Bank (BCR).

The debt now stands at 32.2 billion dollars, 88 percent of GDP, of which at least 25 percent is due within one to five years, putting pressure on the local economy, according to analysts.

This and other factors have led 90 percent of the population to consider the economy the country’s main problem, according to a survey.

The economic situation is influenced by various factors, including unemployment, inflation driven by rising prices for basic goods and the cost of living, poverty, and low wages, among others.

This week it was reiterated that El Salvador has the lowest growth rate and the lowest growth in sight in Central America.

Furthermore, it is among the least attractive countries for foreign direct investment and ranks last in the region in terms of capital accumulation.

Adding to this go the warnings by Luis Treminio, president of the Salvadoran Chamber of Small and Medium Agricultural Producers (CAMPO), about the shortage of staple grains such as corn and beans, as local agriculture is unable to meet domestic demand.

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