Argentina’s food chamber rejects government proposal to freeze prices

The chamber that brings together the main companies in the Argentine food industry said that the government’s proposal to freeze the prices of some 1,650 food and household items could lead to a lower supply of the sector and criticized officials for considering it a unilateral decision. .

The Peronist government is seeking to freeze prices to stop an inflationary escalation a few weeks before the mid-term legislative elections on November 14, where the ruling party is expected to lose ground to the opposition in Congress.

The government held talks this week with the Coordinator of the Food Products Industries (Couplet), a business organization that brings together and represents almost all of the sectors that make up the food and beverage industry of Argentina, to advance in an agreement that helps to curb inflation, which in September soared 3.5%.

The entity, which represents 35 sectoral chambers and more than 14,500 food and beverage companies, Puyes and regional economies of the country, maintains that the approaches made so far reflect the lack of will on the part of the authorities to reach an agreement with the sector.

“The argument that inflation was accelerated by the increases in the category of food and beverage products loses sense since there are other divisions whose prices grow above the IBA Index and the General Index“, he claimed Daniel Funesta from Riojana, President of Couplet.

“Faced with the threat of the application of the Supply Law and the manifestations about greed, it must be recognized that the industry is not the cause of inflation, but suffers its consequences“, he pointed.

Copla added in the statement that, despite sending their participation proposals, they were not taken into account, nor was the request to generate a space for immediate exchange, which would clarify the possibilities of the different sectors, was considered. and find a sustainable deal.