After the price increases that were suspended after the public stir for the departure of the stocks, The minister of Economy, Luis Caputohe met Tuesday with supermarkets.
The meeting took place in the framework of the negotiations that the main chains maintain with mass consumption companies, which press to apply New price lists In the gondolas.
The conversations were extended for the first days of May for the rejection of the super to validate increases of between 9% and 12% and by decision of the manufacturers to let the long weekend pass to calm the waters at the same time that monitored the evolution of the dollar.
The exchange rate stabilization generated a turning point: food and hygiene and cleaning items they turned back with the increases that they foreseen For the second half of April, as soon as the lifting of the stock was announced, in front of a devaluation that over the course of the days with respect to the first business day after the measure and after the warnings of the government, with publications in the social network X of Caputo, which led them to Check your commercial strategies.
In that line, as he could rebuild Clarionat the meeting this afternoon – which lasted just over half an hour and was held on the fifth floor of the Treasury Palace -, the minister He asked the super firm in their positionthat “do not get hooked in the idea of the increase in case”, y thanked them that they have resisted.
Representatives of the main chains participated –Carrefour, Cencosud (Jumbo, Disco y VEA), ChangoMas, Stump, Day and the United Supermarket Association (ASS)-, to whom the minister explained how the economic program is developing. He talked about how the departure of the stocks was, the expectations regarding the flotation of the dollar and the effort to lower taxes to improve competitiveness, although he clarified that the goal of maintaining the fiscal surplus is untouchable.
In that sense, Caputo explained that the “Argentina is in a situation that did not live in the last 100 years: With fiscal balance, without monetary issuance, with floating exchange rate and with a capitalized central bank ”.
In addition, he stressed that “since this management assumed, more than 2 points of the GDP was lowered in taxes and tariffs, and that the economy grew by 6% interannual in 2024”. He also highlighted that “There are no macroeconomic reasons for Argentina to have inflation”.
Meanwhile, the super raised the need to promote competition and work on Reduce and efficient cost structurewhile the head of Economy said that his team “is open to suggest the proposals they consider necessary.”
At the end of the meeting, the Ministry of Economy reported that it also had The participation of the Secretary of Production Coordination, Pablo Lavigne.
Facing the elections, The Government seeks to contain price increases so that inflation continues to decelerate. On Wednesday of next week, INDEC will announce the April data, which both the ruling and private forecasts anticipate that it will be around 3% and will be lower than the 3.7% that the CPI gave in March.
Although in the sector they admit that during these days the panorama was disparate according to the chain, the item and the supplier, they recognize that At the moment there were no general increaseswhich contributed to keeping inflation last month.
In the automotive sector, Caputo also warned companies by X, which finally started the month with more moderate increases, of around 1.5%.
