The government intervened the market after prices fell below production costs.
To protect farmers, the state-owned company "Alimentos Básicos", will buy at $24.36 per bean quintal and sell it at the same price to consumers.
Orlando Silva, company director, "explained that in this way, the government supports small and medium farmers, who were getting paid between $12 and $14 per quintal by intermediaries, a figure below their production costs".