From skyrocketing prices of vegetables, meat, milk and dairy productsstaple foods have increased in April in the city of Buenos Aires over 10%. And they accumulate an increase of about the order 38% in the first 4 months of the yearled by meat and vegetables.
Compared to average inflation, food prices are ahead by more than 8 points compared to the average price increase.
By incidence of food in the general index, Average inflation in Buenos Aires in April would have been around 7.8%. In March it was 7.1%.
As a result, far from slowing down, Buenos Aires inflation has taken another leap, driven by supply problems following the drought, the rise in financial dollars in the last week of the month and the major official devaluation of the peso.
However, as the value of alternative dollars declines, in early May prices have continued to rise in particular the so-called regulated prices, due to increases in prepaid fees, transport, electricity and other items.
Foods and soft drinks weigh an average of 17.1% in the CABA. It is the item with the greatest incidence in the general consumer price index of Buenos Aires. In the rest of the country the weight is greater. especially in the northern regions (NOA and NEA).
But as low-income families devote nearly 100% of their meager income to food, Rising food prices continue to hit the poorest and most fixed-income households hardest, as well as wage earners and the population receiving state aid.
The basket of household poverty, without rent, is estimated to be about $210,000, a figure that is far from the wages of irregular wage earners and a growing share of registered wage earners.
These values explain why poverty continues to grow because, although there were higher levels of employment, precarious jobs are concentrated in the informal sectors, with lower incomes, and also why wage increases for regular workers were and continue to be lower than inflation.
In the city of Buenos Aires in the fourth quarter of 2022, poverty was 16.9% of families (228,000 families) and 22.1% of people (680,000).
Poverty has reached 5.4 percent of households (73,000) and 7.7 percent of individuals (237,000), according to the CABA’s Directorate of Statistics and Census report.
NS
Source: Clarin
