Their food is subsidised through the Mercal mission, and their children's education is free up to university level.
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2.
But Mercal's sales fell by more than 11% in the first five months of this year, partly because of store closures and distribution problems.
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3.
It recently launched four agro-industrial businesses supplying staple products such as milk and maize flour, and its retail-food chain, Mercal, aims to cover 60% of the market.