Five days after being announced, the expanded version of Fair Prices still has no defined contours and its implementation is still in the shadows.
Companies and commercial chains say that they have
not signed any agreement
and that there are only partial understandings on the list of products that will integrate the program, which establishes a ceiling of 3.2% on monthly increases.
From the Government itself they recognize that the basket of 2,000 basic items that will be frozen until June has not even been defined
.
"It will spread in the next few days," they promise.
This Friday and in front of an audience of executives, supermarkets, trade unionists and some mayors, the Minister of Economy, Sergio Massa, and the Secretary of Commerce, Matías Tombolini, announced in the CCK the renewal of Fair Prices, which was scheduled for the end of February.
They invoked the need to combat inflation, establishing
"a price path" for 49,832 items of more than 15 items
(mass consumption, textiles, footwear, cell phones, electronics, laboratories and even private schools, among others) in agreement with 482 companies .
All in exchange for delivering "cheap" dollars to import.
The announcement was that accurate but still caused some confusion.
Manufacturers and chains disagree on the entry into force and scope of the program.
For some, and despite the fact that nothing has been signed, Fair Prices is already in force.
"There was already a guideline for maximum increases of 4%, which is now reduced to 3.2%. All that remains is to confirm the new basket with fixed prices," reasoned a source from a supplier of mass products.
From a chain they were not clear if they had joined the small appliances.
And what were they?
In the private sector there are two camps.
Some believe that in the coming days the situation will be clearer, contrary to others, who are baffled
.
Reformatted countless times, so far freezes and regulated baskets haven't worked.
At least to curb inflation.
What does happen, as some specialized consultancies warn, is that
product shortages in supermarkets deepen
(they say that the level of compliance with Fair Prices averages 45%) and
also the dispersion of prices between channels.
The gap between supermarkets, stores and supermarkets is not new, but now it has grown due to two factors:
accelerating inflation and the strengthening of controls
.
A Nielsen survey of 7 commodities is revealing.
The difference in a 900 ml Fair Price sunflower oil (found only in large supermarkets) is 95% with self-service stores and 108% with stores.
The same occurs with powdered soap (89% more expensive in stores and 64% in self-service stores), canned blonde beer x 354 cc (79% and 84%, respectively), 1.5 liter light soda (24% and 25 %), light cream cheese x 290 gr (35% and 30%), sweet chocolate cookies x 100 gr (56% and 46%) and snack chips x 80 gr (62% more expensive both in stores and self-service stores) .
The issue is worrisome for two reasons.
In the first place, because the big chains concentrate 31% of mass consumption sales (food, drinks, toiletries and cleaning).
The other factor is that
local stores and shops "are the formats where people with lower incomes buy,"
explains Javier González, a Nielsen analyst.
The difference in prices, thus, unintentionally punishes the informal sectors, who make their daily expenses (two to three items, on average) in nearby businesses and stores.
The same consultant points out that consumption in large chains and stores was maintained in 2022, but
fell sharply in independent and Chinese supermarkets.
Despite the efforts, the controls and the intense negotiations to establish reference prices, inflation does not let up.
In January, the cost of living rose to 7.3% in Capital, the highest level since July 2022. In the GBA, according to Ecolatina, prices on average increased 6.4%.
Next week, INDEC will release the data at the national level, which according to the consultants, would give between 5.5% and 6%, which contrasts with Massa's own prediction (less than 4% in April) and the pattern of 60% for the entire year established in the Budget Law.
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"There is nothing signed", said the businessmen after the presentation of Fair Prices