Inflation in May was almost 8%, this means that in the year the rise reached 114%. Those are very high numbers, but The feeling is not so bad news and everything makes us focus on the number of the rise in the “Food and non-alcoholic beverages” category: 5.8% month-on-month variation.
We can contrast this with what the Córdoba Warehouse Center publishes and destroys in the media on a monthly basis. In recent months, their numbers compared to those presented by the organization led by Marcos Lavagna were almost identical, until this month of May.
As we see in the sequence, the Córdoba Warehouse Center is always very close to the data officially presented by the Federal agency. The minimal variation can be understood because one tests local data, from businesses in Córdoba, and INDEC presents data from an entire country.
In the food item is where a significant drop in values was appreciated. And therefore, a difference that drew attention. For INDEC, the variation was 5.8%, but driven by some products in which sugar stands out. For grocers, this rise accompanied the monthly index: 10.42%. More than five points difference.
If we compare some items that stood out in the reports presented, we can see that, in addition to sugar, there are big differences between the two statistics.
butter (more than 10%); oil (almost 18%); and chicken (15%) are some of the comparisons where attention can be paid.
The Precios Cuidados program could be an explanation for these differences, understanding that the businesses near Córdoba did not arrive and this had an impact on the comparison. But INDEC itself, in its report, highlights that the impact of the initiative of the Ministry of Economy and the Secretary of Commerce is minimal. and it is clarified that the number is based on a price survey distributed in 39 urban agglomerates of all the provinces of the country.
According to the organization chaired by Lavagna, the price agreements between the State and the provinces in May represent 3.49% of the total prices surveyed in the GBA.
We will be attentive to how the price variation will be during June, which will be presented in July, one month before the Simultaneous and Mandatory Open Primaries (PASO) in August. To finish understanding if this is a price downside that could find a downward curve or was it just an outlier from May.