INDEC reported that during February general inflation was 6.6 percent, and when disaggregating the items it is observed that food is at the forefront, especially meat, which showed average increases of 21 percent in the city of Buenos Aires, with even more pronounced increases in some cuts: roast (28.6%), minced meat (35%), shoulder (33.5%), rump (34.3%) and buttock (32.8%) .
From the sector, most of the actors agree that it is a phenomenon announced by the rise that had occurred in January in the price of fat farms, which in the Cañuelas market had averaged 30 percent.
It was a rebound that everyone in the sector was already waiting for, based on the fact that
the price of the farm for slaughter, and also of the meat on the counter, had been losing ground against inflation for a year
.
During 2022, according to the Institute for the Promotion of Beef (Ipcva), the average price of meat increased by 42 percent while inflation for food was 94 percent.
The rise in the farm was also explained by
a temporary drop in supply
, explained by seasonal issues.
In the hottest months the feedlots avoid being full to reduce animal mortality.
The producers affirmed that this supply restriction was not more acute due to the drought that invited them to take load off the fields.
Now
that step that the ranch climbed has moved to the prices of meat at the counter
.
Of course, the phenomenon is not observed equally everywhere.
For some time now, two realities have coexisted in the market: a segment with prices that are moderately contained due to the brutal economic crisis that the most vulnerable neighborhoods are suffering, and another segment that is always willing to pay anything
for quality meat
.
This was also observed in the livestock market, where differential prices were paid for the highest quality animals while for the rest the demand was and continues to be highly selective.
As it happens with fruits and vegetables and with many other items, prices differ greatly depending on the neighborhood and quality.
The
care price program promoted by the Government
contributes to consolidating this situation.
These are 7 barbecue cuts that are the most consumed in the domestic market and whose export is prohibited until December 31.
The prices per kilo of the cuts are as follows: empty, 1,351 pesos;
matambre, 1,310 pesos;
skirt, 675 pesos;
roast cover, 1,035 pesos;
buttock, 1,375 pesos;
and palette, 1,113 pesos.
Will the price of meat continue to rise?
In an inflationary context like the current one, it is difficult to imagine that it would not, but judging by what happened in the finance market during February, where the upward trend of January stopped, the rise in the shelves should take a breather.
There are other factors to take into account.
On the supply side, if the long-awaited rains arrive and the pastures regrow, some withholding of property by the producers could be observed.
On the demand side, with the worsening of the crisis, there do not seem to be many arguments for an increase in consumption, but we will have to watch what happens over the Easter weekend, which is usually a key date for measuring this variable.
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