trade of Paysandu suffers a deep crisis due to the exchange difference with Argentina and the decision of thousands of Sanduceros to cross to the other side to buy food, drinks and other goods.
Distributors and wholesalers are reporting drops in sales of between 30% and 70%, with negative and unflattering prospects in the short and medium term, according to the local newspaper The Telegraph based on inquiries and consultations with merchants.
Already in June, businesses had warned that the situation was desperate, and not only in Paysandú: there is also a crisis due to the exchange difference in Salto (which is in front of Concordia, Entre Ríos) and Río Negro (in front of Gualeguaychú, also in Entre Ríos). ).
A price ratio of 10 to 1
Some stated that they were forced to lay off staff or send part of the workforce to unemployment insurance, while others have tried to attract customers with offers and promotions. “The solution does not pass through us,” the owner of a distributor told the media. “If the authorities do not take action, this will continue like this and worse,” said another businesswoman. Several believed that there should be stricter controls, including the zero kilo measure, that is, the prohibition of entering from Argentina with significant quantities of food and beverages.
The category of cleaning products is one of the most affected, but “people pass by and, if they are on the other side, everything enters; and although there are products that do not work for them, they bring them the same”, they recognized, lamenting that even “with a 40%” drop in prices “we did not arrive” because the relationship with the neighboring shore is 10 to 1.
