Restriction on imports and expensive dollar lead to lack of products in Argentina

Argentine Federico Loyola, 32, has been trying to buy a brand new car since March. “I talk to dealerships, importers, I went to other provinces, there aren’t any. When it appears it’s one or the other, I can’t choose the color or the model. When I decide on a domestically made car, they give you an estimated date for delivery, but that is never the correct one, because there is a lack of auto parts [que são importadas] in the country to finish it. I’ve come to terms with the fact that this year I won’t be able to change cars”, he tells Sheet.

With the shortage of dollars, the restrictions on imports defined by the government to try to contain the outflow of capital and the high prices caused by inflation, Argentines are losing access to many goods imported or manufactured with inputs from other countries. There are also those who end up surrendering to a parallel market, which always strengthens in these periods.

The constant devaluation of the currency and excessive inflation, projected at 90% for this year, made the price of imports soar.

The report of Sheet tried to buy a new computer from an Apple Authorized Store. The salesman, incredulous, asked: “But you don’t know anyone who is going to travel and can buy abroad, can’t you buy in another country?”.

Customers usually go to the store just to look at the models, displayed in the window, and then decide which one to buy abroad, he explained. “It’s not worth it here at all,” she insisted.

There were only two units in the stock of the model sought by the report. One of them was at least four generations old and cost three times what if you bought the updated version in Brazil or Chile.

“But then what do people buy here?” The merchant, unshakable, replied: “headphones, accessories, and they come to ask if we know someone who makes a ‘scheme’ [trazer de modo clandestino]”.

If there is money piracy, how can there not be gadgets and computers? There was a WhatsApp number where you just had to send a message and set a date to give an amount in dollars — the same as what you would pay in the US today, and the product would be delivered a month later.

There are imported cases that are still available in the country, but their price cannot be guaranteed for more than 24 hours. On the same occasion, the report decided to just change the battery of the computer. “That yes, we have, it costs 80 thousand pesos today”. The price would only be guaranteed that very day. “Tomorrow the value already changes because it depends on the parallel dollar”. The same occurs with beauty products, bags, or any item that involves imported material.

Purchase restrictions are not limited to items that could be considered luxury, such as Scotch whiskey, salmon or expensive computers.

The producer and seller of alfajores, Daniel Morales, from Salta, apologized on his social networks after not having distributed his traditional alfajores for a while because he lacked the wrapping papers and the material to send them to other places. “We even lack paper and ink for the labels. We did everything by hand, we improvised the packaging, and now we are sending our alfajor all over the country, but I’m sad, because it lost a little bit of its identity.” Morales included in each package a letter apologizing for the drop in product quality.

Even the coffee feels the impact of the Argentine economic moment. “Want something more porteño than going to a confectionery and ordering a coffee? Even that is at risk, as we can’t guarantee coffee after September, when we run out of stock,” said Gerardo Biaggi, manager of the Café Martínez house in the neighborhood. from Belgrano.

And those who think that Argentine wine will be cheaper after so many devaluations can even count on a price relief, but they will have to prepare for an “artisanal” presentation, as there may be a lack of imported cardboard boxes to package it and even plastic. bubble. “It’s common to ask me if I send the wine bought here to the USA. But I explain to the foreign customer the tricks so that he can carry it in his own suitcase without attracting attention, because it costs less than triple the price if I put in the mail”, says Álvaro Pruat, from an Argentine wine exporter.

The distance between the value of the US currency in the official quotation (145 pesos) and the parallel quotation, known as “blue” (295 pesos), causes prices to be constantly marked.

Imports to Argentina are made at the official exchange rate, through currency quotas assigned by the Central Bank to companies, based on purchases invoiced in previous years.

With this mechanism in place and the increase in international product prices, importers have to reduce their purchase volumes.