The Secretary of Commerce, Matias Tombolinidenied this Tuesday, June 6, the existence of import barriers and ratified that during the first five months of the year a “general approval rate” was reached 88%. Furthermore, he blamed the high inflation in food to those products that “do not have barcode“.
“It is important to differentiate the data story. The authorization of imports between January and May increased 21% compared to the same period last year,” said Tombolini during an interview in FM Urban Play.
In this context, the official pointed out that last year imports averaged around $6.8 billion per month, while in May of this year income was requested for almost US$12,000 million.
“The overall approval rate this year is 88%“, replied Tombolini when asked about the existence of obstacles when importing.
At the same time, he specified that, de the US$36,757 million authorized in the first five months of the yeararound US$14,127 million still remain without importing, which suggests speculation about the most appropriate moment to bring the merchandise.
“Having systematic problems with inputs would not allow the growth of the industryand the reality is that the industry is growing because it has the inputs and necessary capital goods“, stated Tombolini, who also highlighted the use of installed capacity, which is located about 67.8%.
About the swap with China
About the use of yuan to pay for importsthanks to the agreement with China, Tombolini affirmed that this will decompress the reserves of the Central Bank. “When you need foreign currency that cannot be generated via exports, there are two alternatives: correct prices through a devaluation of the exchange rate that reduces imports and, therefore, economic activity; or seek external financing, as the Minister of Economy has done, Sergio Massa“, he explained.
Tombolini too pointed against those who propose an “abrupt devaluation as a solution”.
“They don’t understand that this probably make a big impact across the entire food and beverage pricing structure, even greater than the current situationTombolini said.
“Of course, we know that this It is not solved exclusively with price programsbut rather, as the minister mentioned when taking office, it has to do with fiscal order, the accumulation of reserves and the order of relative prices, something that was achieved in the second half of last year when inflation decreased one point per two-month period “, he evaluated.
In this sense, Tombolini also referred to food prices and stated that “the situation of products that do not have a barcode cannot be ignored in the analysis“.
Source: Ambito
