The national government agreed with the chambers of the baking sector to guarantee the supply of bread at reasonable prices, which in June had increases of up to 3.4%, and actions to enhance the functioning of the wheat trust with the incorporation of more mills.
The Secretary of Internal Commerce, Martin Pollera, met with all the actors in the production chain, who committed to maintaining a reasonable price for bread throughout the country; and there was also progress with the pasta sector to agree on the price of dry pasta.
The official received this Tuesday afternoon representatives of the bakery chambers and cooperatives with the aim of addressing the problems that the sector is going through.
“It was a very productive meeting in which we responded to various concerns of the sector and in which we convened a table to improve the mechanisms of the Argentine Wheat Stabilizer Fund (FETA) and defend its products, but always prioritizing the price of bread. Pollera pointed out.
“The meeting was very fruitfulwe presented to the new Secretary of Commerce a whole series of requests that we had, many things that had remained to be resolved”, agreed the head of the Center for Bakers April 27 of Avellaneda, Gaston Mora.
According to the leader, Pollera “with a good predisposition said that he is willing to move forward because he wants to see this change reflected in people’s pockets and wants to bring peace of mind.”
“We are not going to endorse bread at $400 under any point of view; We agreed on a loaf of $320 or $340, but we know that control tools must be generated so that in many bakeries that today are receiving subsidized flour they are not rogues and sell it for $400,” added Mora.
Likewise, he revealed, “we agree on an upcoming meeting in which the Nation’s Undersecretary for Consumer Defense is going to participate and, on these axes, begin to work a lot on control in the bakeries, we are going to audit the issue of the mills as well , that there is no surcharge since they receive funds from the State”.
“We will begin to reflect which are the mills and which are the bakeries that are accompanying so that people know what they have to pay as a reference, at least in terms of the price of bread,” the baker leader completed.
In that sense, Pollera guaranteed the continuity of the FETA and announced the incorporation of eight new millsyes; and announced that the procedures for the inclusion of another nine milling companies are being completed, with which this fund would have more than 50% of the total milling of wheat flour.
Likewise, he announced the formation of a table with suppliers of margarine, fat and raw material in general to include all the actors in the production chain.
I had a productive meeting with the bakery sector, where we responded to several of their concerns.
We promised to work to improve the mechanisms of the Argentine Wheat Stabilizer Fund and thus ensure a reasonable price for bread on Argentine tables. pic.twitter.com/NHlZ1ikeOE
– Martin Pollera (@mpollera) July 26, 2022
In addition, the Government established a channel to receive complaints about the mills that, being part of the trust, do not sell flour at a subsidized price and in the coming weeks a resolution will be signed to establish a deadline in August for the incorporation of mills to the FETA .
According to the latest report from the National Institute of Statistics and Censuses (Indec), 3% increases were recorded in table bread and 3.4% in flute-type French bread in Greater Buenos Aires; the average price of a kilo of French bread was $311.80 last month and that of table bread of 390 grams was $266.79.
Among others, the heads of the Chamber of Industrial Bakers of the City of Buenos Aires, José Álvarez; the Bakery Industrial Federation of the Province of Buenos Aires (Fippba), Raúl Santoandré; the vice president of the Argentine Federation of the Bread and Allied Industries (Faipa), Dante Cauvet; and the presidents of Faipa Tucumán, Pablo Albertus; the Chamber of Bakers of Salta, Daniel Romano; the Bakers Center of Merlo, Sergio Izzo; and the Bakers Center of Quilmes, Diego Salvio.
Previously, Pollera also received the president of the Industrial Union of Noodles (UIFRA), Juan Manuel Airoldes; Mariano Eguía, from Molinos Río de la Plata; and Juan Fera, from Marolio.
In statements to Télam, Airoldes conveyed the concern about the “coupling of the trusts” to know “how to continue operating in a framework of certainty and fairness, which can result in a stable price for the consumer.”
The leader declared himself “in agreement” at the end of the meeting, “with the expectation of having great advances and a glimpse of a solution in August.”
