In recent times there has been an increase in the price of meat in butcher shops and supermarkets in the country, which varies between 15 to 20%, which puts pressure on inflation in January.
But, according to a study by the Mediterranean Foundation,
value in Argentina is more accessible than Chile, Uruguay and Brazil,
contrary to what is thought in Argentina.
According to the document, in the comparison between Uruguay and Argentina, based on prices from public organizations / mixed institutions, 12 cuts of beef are included at the final consumer level (the same for both countries).
The latest information available dates from December 2022. It is found here that, for the aforementioned month, the average price of this basket of cuts was US$9.06 per kilo in Uruguay and US$6.69 per kilo in Argentina,
26% cheaper
.
"This gap is high in relation to that observed at the beginning of 2022, when it was only 3% in favor of Argentina," the Mediterranean Foundation stated.
In the comparative case between Chile and Argentina, 13 cuts of meat were included (similar for both countries) and it was observed that, in December 2022 (latest information), the average price of this basket in the
trans-Andean country was US$11, 98, while in Argentina it is US$7.89.
A survey was also carried out in online supermarket stores in the third week of January and the first week of February of this year (in the latter case only for Argentina), to incorporate Brazil in the comparison of beef prices in the region. .
And for Argentina, two measurements were made in order to capture the transfer that usually occurs to consumer prices of significant increases in the price of farms;
It should be noted that the price of live animals, the main categories, has risen 40% so far this year.
The survey carried out in the third week of January 2023 revealed that the average price of a basket of 8 medium/high quality cuts in Argentina was $1,780 per kilo.
an average price
11.4% lower than Brazil
.
However, in the survey carried out in the first week of February, this price had risen to $2,267 per kilogram, representing an increase of 27.3%.
Thus, an average price 11.4% higher than Brazil
"A price check was carried out in Brazil during the first week of February, to prevent prices from increasing in that country as well, but that was not the case, with stable values being observed," he explained.
Situation in Argentina
According to the study, it is not clear if the price adjustment for beef and meat will continue in the country in the coming weeks, since it depends on the consumer's response to the new values, on how they accommodate their consumption decision a product that has now become more expensive in relative terms, and how exports respond to a business that sees its margins reduced (ceteris paribus other variables);
It will also be decisive how farm producers adapt to the new scenario, one of higher prices and a climate that is beginning to normalize.
