The upward trend of prices on items imported into Paraguay continues with no end in sight. Inflation on imports was 9.3 percent higher in 2021 than it was in the same recorded period in 2020, making it the highest level recorded since 2005, according to a study by the Central Bank of Paraguay. “Just forget about trying to buy any [imported] fruits or vegetables,” Ramona Benitez told The Epoch Times. Benitez is a resident of Encarnación, Paraguay, a city located on the Paraná River. She said the city has been running short on things such as fruits and vegetables for months. “It’s an ugly situation made even harder by unemployment,” Benitez said. Like many, Benitez lost her job as a teacher during the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) virus lockdowns in 2020. Unemployment in Paraguay reached 7.9 percent in the first quarter of 2020 and continued to increase in the first quarter of 2021. In Asunción, resident Silva Torres told …