Diesel: the shortage worsens and there are already 19 provinces with supply problems

The diesel shortage continues to intensify and is already widespread. The “Map of diesel supply”, created by the technicians of the Argentine Federation of Commercial Freight Entities (FADEEAC) exhibition starting from Sunday 5 June, they are already 19 provinces faced supply problems.

The hub of scarcity keep pointing north but it extends to other provinces with varying intensity. This situation occurs in the context of full harvesting for the countryside and the increased use of fuels in regional economies.

“With the exception of the Patagonian hydrocarbon provinces, the rest of the districts have difficulty accessing fuel, an essential input to develop our business,” FADEEAC said in a statement. and the map provides a clear example of this. While in the upper and middle part it is colored red as a sign of the seriousness of the issue, in the lower part the cartography is seen in green.

“The picture becomes more complicated every day. Agricultural and industrial production already subject to delays will be even more affected if the current situation is not reversed “, warned Roberto Guarnieri, president of the institution.

In April, FADEEAC began conducting a weekly survey of its associates to show access to fuel, any restrictions or shortages and its price in the face of repeated complaints of geographic heterogeneity.

Just two days ago that same map which now shows 14 provinces in a critical supply state, had 6 fewer. What the information shows is that some provinces that had problems but weren’t critical have now become critical.

Based on the responses of truck drivers and owners of some of the 4,400 SMEs that make up the 43 Transport Chambers grouped in FADEEAC, the this “virtual traffic light” which aims to monitor in real time the availability of fuel in Argentina.

To date, with more than 700 responses processed, the map shows:

• 14 provinces in red (indicates places where there is little or no supply at petrol stations): Buenos Aires, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Entre Ríos, Corrientes, Misiones, Santa Fe, Córdoba, Santiago del Estero, Tucumán, Salta, Jujuy, Formosa, San Juan and Mendoza.

• 4 provinces in orange (identifies the districts where the average supply is 20 liters per unit): San Luis, La Rioja, Catamarca and Chaco.

• 1 province in yellow (to refer to the places where between 51 and 100 liters are loaded): La Pampa.

• Only the southern provinces appear in green.

The survey also demonstrates this 29.6% of carriers had to wait more than 12 hours to load the fuel; 28.9% between 3 and 6 hours; 24.4% between 6 and 12 hours; and 17% between 2 and 3 hours.

In most provinces there is a quota of less than 20 liters per unit. It is good to keep this in mind a truck needs between 35 and 40 liters to travel 100 km.

Lack of fuel leads to losses, inefficiencies and wasted time. The damage is economic and social.

“We cannot meet our commitments in a timely manner and jobs are lost due to the uncertainty generated by the lack of normal supply. Drivers forgo hours of rest to stand in line and see if they are lucky enough to refuel. Despite the government’s promises, we have not yet received any confirmation on the implementation of the announced imports, “said Guarnieri.

According to the shareholders’ responses, the lack of fuel is felt most intensely on domestic routes.

The decoupling of domestic prices from international ones must be resolved with agile measures, taxes or through the intervention of the Ministry of Energy. Indeed, high prices are paid – in some cases more than $ 250 per liter – and even then there is no diesel.

Demand for this fuel will continue to increase as gas shortages result in additional diesel to meet the needs of industry and the countryside.

YN