The Minister of Economy, Sergio Massa, opened his presentation with a thank you to those who joined the program and remarked: “I want to thank the more than 100 companies that have already signed, and those that are still doubting that they will lose market because Argentines are going to choose to pay prices that know”.
“My commitment that each one of the responsibilities that the State assumed to give it access to the Single Exchange Marketspeed in the production procedures, know that the Government is committed to complying with it. Feel free to denounce us if we do not comply with any of the obligations assumed by the State. because we all want to have the same burden of responsibility,” added the minister.
On the composition of the program, he highlighted: “There are more than 1,700 products that the next 4 months should be worth the sameand next week when the scheme is finished, there will be a little more than 2,000 products”.
“There is a commitment from supermarket chains and wholesalers to reject those companies that violate the price lists agreement. That gives us all guarantees,” Massa emphasized about the commitment of the adherents to the program.
“Inflation is resolved with an orderly fiscal policy, with the accumulation of reserves, with work with the chains of distributed inputs,” reflected the minister and advanced: “Once this stage is over, next week we start working on the agreements for the supply chain disseminated”.
“The objective of this program is to give them peace of mind, when they go to the supermarket they know what things are worth”Massa remarked.
Secretary of Commerce, Matias Tombolini, highlighted the planning of the Minister of Economy, Sergio Massa, when marking a roadmap, and remarked: “Because there is fiscal order and because we have accumulated reserves, we can move forward with operating on inflation expectations. This is a starting point. Prices fair is an opportunity that has to do with agreeing on how we are going to function in the future”.
“102 companies already participate in this agreementand we understand that by the end of the day we will reach 114 companies and next week 125 companies. There are already 1,788 products that are part of the basket of constant prices of fair prices”, expanded the secretary on adherence to the program.
Tobolini also added: “In the next 10 days we will be reaching 2,500 points of sale in the country, 18 supermarket chains throughout Argentina. 9 wholesale chains that are incorporated after a long time and 25 local chains“.
“The catering It has been one of the weak points of these programs, which is why the minister’s proposal has to do with the fact that, because we manage foreign trade, we offer a program of imports that allows companies to have the tools so that there is no break in stock,” he said about the guarantees for imports.
“For to decentralize control, it is necessary to work in the territory with the mayors. That is why we publish the resolution that transfers to all the mayors with whom we can collaborate the power to supervise this agreement,” added the trade minister.
Lucas Menoyoof the Menoyo food company, highlighted that “from this agreement, consumers will find our products at stable prices in retail and wholesale stores” and added: “The agreement also has our commitment to guarantee supply and the price path in the rest of the products that our firm sells, which will not see increases of more than 4% in the next 4 months”.
“We value the initiative of the state to put guarantees and certainty in the process of importing intermediate goods that are part of the value chain and inputs for the companies that commit to the price agreement,” stressed the entrepreneur.
The General Secretary of the Union of Food Industry Workers (STIA), Hector Morcillohighlighted: “This agreement is very important because we have been holding it for a long time, we saw that there were no reference prices, a permanent markup, and this meant the loss of purchasing power of our salary“.
“We celebrate that this program aims to set a reference, to maintain future predictability and that we bet on the present and the future,” he stressed and added: “Let’s hope there are no shortcuts this time, that it will be fulfilledbecause the levels of poverty and indigence in our population are intolerable”.
“We ask the business sector to comply with the program, otherwise we believe that social stability in our country is in danger. I believe that this program aims to guarantee social stability in our country“, Morcillo concluded.
The details of the program
With the aim of “achieving stability in the prices of essential products consumed by Argentine households”, Fair Prices aspires to keep constant the values ​​of 1,500 products in the food, beverage, dairy, personal hygiene and cleaning categories, official sources said.
The agreement establishes that the products that will remain with fixed prices will enter the program with a value up to 4% higher than the average recorded during October 2022, and should remain stable for 120 days.
The rest of the products sold by the companies that join the program will have a monthly increase guideline of up to 4% for the same 120 days in the sale price to supermarkets and wholesalers.
Within this framework, the national State will grant guarantees and certainties in the process of importing intermediate goods and finished goods that are part of the value chain and inputs for the companies that participate in the program.
About a hundred signatures will participate in the agreement, which represent 86% of mass consumption in the country and among which are Molinos, Coca Cola, Unilever, Quilmes, Mastellone, AGD, Ledesma and Las MarÃas, among others.
Consumers will be able to consult the products and commercial chains adhered to the program by entering from today at https://www.argentina.gob.ar/preciosjustos or through a mobile application, available on Android and IOS, in addition to two chatbots for the retail channel (+54 9 11 2879 0887) and wholesale (+54 9 11 2524 4728).
Source: Ambito
