Guillermo Hang, an acquaintance of Martín Guzmán, continues with the assembly of his pricing policy.
With the aim of renewing the Care Prices program, the new Secretary of Commerce, Guillermo Hang, This midday he will meet with Copal (the chamber that brings together food companies) and with some producers of mass consumption. This is the first official meeting of the official with the companies that bring most of the 1,900 products that make up the regulated baskets inherited from his predecessor, the resigning Roberto Feletti.
Under the orders of the Minister of Economy, Martín Guzmán, Hang, it continues with the assembly of an agenda to contain inflation. Last Monday you met with FAIM (the main millers’ chamber) to which you asked for “accompaniment” to stop the rise in flour prices. Shortly before, he had done it with companies in the oil sector. The government’s main concern is the international increase in commodities, mainly grain and food in general.
While not yet officially appointed, Hang is simultaneously working on the transition with those who were Feletti’s collaborators and coordinating future pricing policy with Guzmán. For now, the prevailing idea is to continue with similar recipes but based on agreements with large consumer companies. The priority is the quarterly renewal of Care Prices, which expires on 7 July.
Official sources indicate that several possibilities are being explored. One of them is to anticipate the price adjustment for this month to avoid shortages in the gondola. Other is to limit the quantity of regulated products, which contrasts with the 1,321 that currently make up the official program. While managing him, Feletti multiplied the checks and the baskets, without obtaining results.
Hang was a member of the board of the central bank. After Feletti’s surprise resignation, he replaced him in office at the express request of Guzmán, whom he has known since his university days. On the other hand, you already know your current role since you worked at the Secretariat of Commerce together with Guillermo Moreno. This doesn’t imply a return to those old practices, they promise. They ensure that the controls will continue, but within a framework of agreements with supermarkets and producers.
The arrival of the Hang implies a strengthening of Guzmán, questioned by the hard sectors of Christianity. The minister and Hang face the challenge of cushioning the acceleration in prices. Accumulated inflation up to April is 23.1%, according to Indec. Always with above average food. Mass consumer companies expect Hang to provide some details on future policy for a key sector in terms of inflation.
Source: Clarin
