Annabella quiroga
04/27/2021 6:01 AM
Clarín.com
Economy
Updated 04/27/2021 6:01 AM
Imports jumped in March and grew 68%.
Although they took off compared to the previous month, when the increase had been only 16%, there is
a long list of companies
that go through the courts in search of a precautionary measure that enables them to be able to enter merchandise into the country.
According to data from the Chamber of Importers, there are already
500 companies that presented precautions
.
A month ago submissions did not reach 400, a jump of 25%.
Behind these obstacles is the government's anxiety to manage the dollars that enter the country.
With soybeans setting records and a notable rise in the amount of dollars that agriculture enters the country, the Central Bank managed to buy US $ 3.8 billion so far this year.
With that amount, Miguel Pesce must cover at least
four fronts:
pay debts, intervene in the market to regulate the prices of alternative dollars, fatten reserves and deliver foreign exchange to pay for imports.
So far this year, and despite the fact that in March imports reached US $ 5.32 billion, stepping on imports seems to be the strategy for
the short blanket of the dollar to reach.
There are 1,300 companies associated with the Chamber of Importers of the Argentine Republic (CIRA).
Rubén García, president of the entity, details that
"80% of the companies have problems importing."
"The non-automatic licenses (LNA) are not coming out," García told
Clarín
.
"There are more than 500 companies with precautions brought before the courts to unblock imports."
The LNAs are the permits with which the Government
regulates the entry of "sensitive" products
that compete against local production.
The judicial route grows
With the restrictions on the rise, the judicial route ends up being the only possible one, since, according to the importers, "the Foreign Trade Directorate
does not answer the phone
."
The 500 precautionary measures presented cover all segments.
It is not only the importation of consumer goods that is being held back:
the obstacles also reach the inputs
, which are essential to produce in the country.
"Before putting more controls, it
is necessary to remove all the obstacles to trade,
" Garcia said.
In this scenario, no one wants to raise the tension with officials, so companies prefer to give their testimony
off the microphone.
An international company that produces inputs for the food industry and exports from Argentina began to have
serious problems
with restrictions on the import of inputs at the beginning of the year.
"We have 250 employees. About
50 of them have been licensed since last year
because they are people at risk from Covid. As we have fewer staff working we need to import supplies that we could manufacture here before. And now the Ministry of Productive Development does not give us permits to be able to import, "said one of the executives.
And he detailed that they have had
heated discussions
with officials who demand that they produce locally instead of importing.
"As of January, the approval policy of the LNAs changed and imports of these inputs stopped us. We have merchandise in the ports that we cannot nationalize.
They are being released to us by droppers,
" he said.
v 1.5
Settlement of field dollars
»January-March of each year.
In millions of dollars
Tap to explore the data
Source:
CIARA-CEC
Infographic:
Clarín
The restrictions became more marked with the beginning of the "exchange summer", which kept the official dollar, the one used by importers, rising
below inflation
and alternative dollars without too many jumps.
In this company, last year
"the approvals came out in 30 or 40 days
, now we have spent three months almost without any approval."
A similar situation is going through an importer of portfolios, which must present
one precautionary after another
to enter the country.
"Half of my work time I spend
completing forms
for each of the procedures that they ask me when I file a precautionary measure. I have to present from balances audited not only by my accountant, but also by the College of Accountants, to bank statements certified by a notary. Thus, for each of the operations that hinder us, "
another of the businessmen caught in the precautionary wheel
told
Clarín
.
AQ
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