The government has raised the prices of care with fewer products and rises below inflation

Outgoing Commerce Secretary Guillermo Hang has completed his final assignment. As expected, he has renewed the service prices, which he includes a basket of 949 products (300 less than in the previous edition) and average adjustments of 9.3% for the next quarter.

This phase of the program It will be in effect from this Friday until next 7 October and is the result of a long negotiation process with producers and suppliers of the consumer industry.

Care Price consists of warehouse items, cleaning, perfumery, items for personal care and hygiene, items for children, fresh products (cured meats, fresh pasta, empanadas and cake tops), frozen food and drinks. As agreed, the adjustments will be distributed as follows: 3.3% in July; 3.2% in August and 2.5% in September.

As has been the case since the beginning of the program, the regulated basket is essentially concentrated in the large supermarket chains: among these Carrefour, Jumbo, Vea, Disco, Changomás. The channel accounts for 33% of basic item sales. The rest is distributed among supermarkets, warehouses, stores and independent chains.

According to the Government, with Care Price “seeks to bridge the gap between agreed and non-agreed products“and its goal is” to be a price benchmark “across the country. Something that has not been met so far. Official and private statistics agree that the price gap between channels is increasing and that independent businesses bear the brunt.

In parallel, the Government updated the basket of fruit and vegetables this Thursday. In this case, “the selected products and agreed prices for this month through August 7 are (per kilo): potato ($ 63), onion ($ 105), tomato ($ 210), lettuce ($ 170) and apple ( $ 190), “the release reads. This basket of fresh produce will be “available at AMBA, every day, in Día, Walmart, Changomas, Jumbo, Vea, Disco, Coto, Carrefour and Makro supermarkets”.

With the official extension of the Assistance Prices, the management of Hang ends. The official will leave the Ministry of Commerce and will be replaced by Martin Polleraan economist who had previously worked alongside the newest Minister of Economy, Silvina Batakis.

Hang took office at the express request of Martín Guzmán on May 23, following the resignation of Roberto Feletti. Until then, this La Plata economist was a member of the board of directors of the Central Bank.

Pollera’s appointment is not so surprising as he worked in the Ministry of the Interior, led by the camper Eduardo “Wado” de Pedro, where the former Secretary of Commerce Paula Español also works.

Strictly speaking, Pollera was Undersecretary for Development Policies with Regional Equity and maintains regular contact with entrepreneurs, governors and mayors. Just as Guzmán aspired, Batak is now It will have under its orbit an office with a lot of symbolic charge for Kirchnerism. The day before yesterday, the new economy minister said that price control was part of his policy.