Even with slightly lower pressure than in February, food prices continued to rise during the month of March, especially in the first three weeks of the month. The level of increases remained at 7% and 8% monthly and the impact was strongest in food consumed away from home.
“In March, 84.6% of the food basket showed variations, being 90.7% positive and 4% negative. This implies an increase in the number of products that have registered increases compared to last month by 1.5 points,” according to the consultancy Eco Go.
According to these data, the prices of the basket increased by last month 7.6% . In other words, they slowed by 2.2 points from February, when they climbed by 9.8%, according to INDEC, due to the moderation shown by the price of beef compared to last month, when it jumped sharply after several months of delay. .
Anywaythe Meat category had an increase of 13.2% in March. And within that, chicken and other red meats have emerged as alternatives and have seen increases of 4.7% and 5%, respectively. “We hope chicken will continue to grow in particular, which has seen a sharp increase in butcher shops in the last week.
In the last ten days of the month, chicken has jumped 30% in its price. It went from $550 to $700 pesos a kilo, due to a temporary supply limitation caused by the extreme heat in early March. He fish also showed significant increases in March, especially hake (8.4%) before the imminence of Holy Week.
The most important jump in the basket occurred in fruit (10%), in particular in citrus fruits (21.1%), which were affected by weather conditions and higher refrigeration and transport costs. Meanwhile, vegetables have averaged a 5% increase for the month, according to surveys by Eco Go.
Precisely, closed the Secretary of Commerce a new deal on fair prices with the Association of Supermarkets (ASU) to maintain the prices of a group of fruits and vegetables which will maintain the agreed price until 30 April.
As regards the evolution of the prices of the basket, other price measurements have revealed the levels of rise compared to February. The consultancy firm Focus Market, for example, calculated the change in prices in March at a level of 7%.
According to Damián Di Pace, an analyst at Focus Market, “in the case of mass consumption, the variation in prices continues to be high. Base categories year-over-year price increases average in the triple digits compared to March 2022. For example, beverages are up 112%, cleaning items up 103% and personal care items up 136.7% on average“he detailed.
For the consultancy firm Ferreres & Asociados, which estimates inflation at 7.1% for the month of March, the increase in food and beverages remained at average of 6.5%.
Finally, for the consultancy firm LCG, which measures prices in supermarkets, the food and beverage index has had a monthly increase of 4.7% on average in the last 4 weeks and 4.5% point-to-point in the same period. In this survey, two food groups were found which grew above the general average: bakery products, cereals and pasta rose by 8.7% and dairy products and eggs rose by an average of 6%.
Source: Clarin
