A refrigerator invested $ 500 million and is now in danger of being paralyzed due to the limitations of the Central Bank

Restrictions on the import of factors of production have curbed numerous economic activities in Argentina. This is the case of Rafaela’s Sodecar refrigerator, which in the last three periods has invested over 500 million dollars in infrastructure and technologies with the aim of increasing and improving production and which today is in a critical situation, which is about to paralyze activities. .

The company employs 378 people and its main production, 85%, is chacinados, cured meats and cured meats that are marketed throughout the country, while the remaining 15% corresponds to cuts of fresh meat that are sold in model butchers. the region. Now, with the limitations imposed by the Central Bank not authorizing them to send payments abroad under normal conditions, their suppliers are not providing them with the supplies they need to carry out their activities and several production lines are at risk of closure. According to the general manager of Sodecar, Ruben Burkett, If there are no changes between three weeks and 30 days that allow them to import, they will have to stop their operations.

“All the wrappers are imported, those for Viennese sausages, salamis, salamines; even a soybean additive that is brought in from Brazil that is used in cooked ham and other ingredients that do not exist in Argentina. External suppliers do not want to refill us, nobody trusts us and there are supplies that run out in less than thirty days, there are lines that will stop completely if these supplies don’t arrive, “Burkett explained. And for the worse They are almost sold out.

Secondly, the manager mentions the difficulty in obtaining pork after the restrictions on buying it from Brazil. “In Argentina, production is not enough and large industries have always bought 15% to 20% of what is produced from Brazil, but it is forbidden because by forcing you to pay within 180 days, they stopped deliveries. We had three. months of stock that have already disappeared, so a few days ago we had to start reducing production and we will have to stop work one day a week because production is reduced by half, at least for now, “he said.

In the last three periods, the company has made an investment of 500 million dollars: it has built new dryers for cured meats, it has built a frozen warehouse, it is expanding the hams sector and building another dryer for raw salami, in order to increase production capacity by 18%.

“It’s very sad, it is total helplessnessno one gives us an answer or gives us solutions, it is a pity that one, after so many investments, thinking of growing – we have hired 40 people in the last year – has to stop activities and affect jobs “, said Burkett.