Arubans are paying more for imported products compared to the previous year. During the first quarter of 2023, it was reported that Aruba imported a total of 659 million florins worth of products. Last year, this was 565 million florins, while the weight of the amount has barely changed.
This is according to “Centraal Bureau Statistiek” (CBS), and this import and export data has been duplicated for the first quarter of 2023.
Higher import costs with a similar weight of freight would only indicate that the price has increased, according to CBS, import costs have increased up to one quarter when compared to 2019, before the Coronavirus pandemic.
The goods and products that Aruba is importing, are oftentimes items used daily that can be found in supermarkets and stores. They are brought to Aruba via ship or plane from different countries and are sold for local use, production, or exportation via Freezone.
With this data on the table, it is clear for everyone that either the transport costs or the costs of the products themselves have increased. As a consequence, all final prices in the supermarket will increase as well, which will heavily affect the buying power of our locals.
