The Minister of Production of Santa Fe, Daniel Costamagna, assured that the production of biodiesel that is registered in the province can serve to replace all the diesel that is imported into the country.
“The province of Santa Fe is prepared to replace all diesel imports as it is considered a strategic sector, which invested a lot and makes it possible to avoid spending foreign currency that we need for more than 5,000 SMEs in the province,” said the Santa Fe official. .
In statements made to the Rosario3 portal, he added: “I believe that to the extent that this is achieved, it has a direct and indirect impact, which has to do with all the small and medium-sized companies that need foreign currency. in the importation of inputs for the production of capital goods”.
“Mentioning the surplus of more than 12 billion dollars, the increase in jobs, that 1 of 4 dollars that are exported leave our province, are all issues to be highlighted,” Costamagna remarked.
Following the decision of the national government to extend the validity of the biodiesel cut to 12.5% for 60 days, Santa Fe SMEs are currently working at 85% of their industrial capacity.
In the province, the panorama is one of “great optimism”, since if today all the companies in the province – large and small – produced 100% biodiesel, all the diesel imported into the country could be replaced, Costamagna stressed.
Last week, after learning of the national government’s decision, the governor of Santa Fe, Omar Perotti, expressed his satisfaction through social networks.
“It is good news to continue increasing the cut of biodiesel. We appreciate that our request and the expectations of SMEs have been taken into account, which have demonstrated the ability to supply the greatest demand,” the president said on Twitter.
In this sense, Perotti added that “we will continue accompanying the consolidation of the cut and the participation of small and medium-sized companies. It is very good that Argentina is generating sustainable fuel production.”
Along the same lines, Costamagna stressed that “we can say that the steps taken with the new Secretary of Energy, Flavia Royon, as had already been proposed to the previous incumbent, Darío Martínez, contributed to giving continuity to the maintenance of the cut of 12.5%, and we understand that it could be increased”.
Costamagna added that “in the situation that the country has, the 12.5% cut will be taken into account at least until the end of the year, and from then on it seems to me that it will continue because there is no other option that avoids spending foreign currency. in more imported diesel when we can do it here. Therefore, I think we can discuss the energy matrix in the long term, but today, due to the current situation, biodiesel is the only element that allows us to replace imported diesel.”
