“Without services it is very difficult for our companies to grow, without electricity it is very difficult for our companies to grow,” said Maximiliano Vásquez, President of Fedecámaras-Táchira, this Tuesday during an assembly held with the liquor sellers union of this state, regarding the public services crisis that is being experienced throughout the border region.
By Anggy Polanco / Correspondent lapatilla.com
Despite the commercial opening of the bridges between Táchira State (Venezuela) and Norte de Santander Department (Colombia), the situation has improved “somewhat”, in a very slow process but with moderate hopes, said Vásquez, since businessmen are subject to complex circumstances due to the deficiency in all services.
He indicated that companies are working at only between 10% and 30%, but in the border municipalities the situation is even more critical.
Fedecámaras Táchira considers that industrial companies have been working well below their capacity and are also facing a national market reality with a reduction in the economy since the pandemic.
“The context of (good) services is necessary so that we can capitalize on the important decision that the government made to open trade with Colombia. We are 100% behind that decision, enthusiastic for it to be successful, but to that end we need to have a solution to the problems that the state and society in general have to improve the services to be able to work,” declared Vásquez.
He pointed out that the fuel they are using to keep the power plants running is a hydrocarbon that they also need for their vehicles and production processes, when there are proposals for temporary solutions for electrical energy and the fuel situation. However, the situation is urgent and society feels a natural impatience.
Equipment losses and low sales
Johnson Delgado, representative of the Táchira liquor sellers union, reported that they are going through a serious crisis caused by power outages, since more than 30 businesses in this branch have suffered damage to their equipment, such as cold rooms, ice-making equipment, refrigerators, among other devices, generating million-dollar losses.
“This 4×4 rationing is affecting us enormously, because we can never maintain the cold chain for our products, and that has lowered our sales. This situation is unfortunate, our sales have dropped by more than 50%,” Delgado stressed.
The union representative stated that the more the electricity fails, the more the service rate continues to increase, without Corpoelec being responsible for the damages caused.
That is why the Táchira liquor union declares an emergency and will act by sending a letter to Corpoelec for these claims denounced by more than 90% of the region’s members.
Likewise, Johnson Delgado denounced an irregular situation on the part of ‘Empresas Polar’ franchisees, who have been selling liquor to people without permits, who sell it below the retail price, causing damage to legally established businessmen.