Distributors and service stations report difficulties in purchasing fuel

Distributors and gas stations are beginning to face difficulties in purchasing products due to the suspension of imports by private companies in view of the large gap between domestic prices and international quotations.

There are reports of problems in Paraná and in states in the North and Northeast, which are more dependent on imports. The main difficulty lies in acquiring S-10 diesel, less polluting and, therefore, mandatory in large urban centers.

Fecombustíveis (Federation of Retail Trade of Fuels and Lubricants) says, however, that it has also received complaints about the lack of hydrated ethanol, as the product currently has good competitiveness in relation to gasoline.

The sector complains that the gap between domestic prices and international quotations makes imports unfeasible. According to Abicom (Brazilian Association of Fuel Importers), its associates did not carry out operations in 2022.

About 20% of the Brazilian fuel market is supplied by imported products. Dependence is higher on diesel, at around 25%. In gasoline, it is around 10%.

The situation also worries customers of the largest distributors in the country, which also operate in imports. Ipiranga, for example, sent a notice to resellers advising that requests for additional volumes will be submitted for analysis before approval.

The measure, says the text, was taken “due to the need to seek international supply of diesel in the month of March and the recent surge in oil prices”. The company says it is prioritizing service stations in the Ipiranga network and companies with which it has a supply contract.

Sought by the report, the company said that “aware of the supply scenario widely publicized by the media, Ipiranga continues to work diligently to maintain the regularity of supply to the Ipiranga service station network and business customers”.

Federation that brings together small and medium-sized distributors in the country, Brasilcom says only that “the situation worries”, without further details about the difficulties in finding products.

“If Petrobras holds the price for a long time, the distributors, especially the regional ones, will have great difficulty in importing”, says the president of Fecombustíveis, Paulo Miranda. “With a lag close to R$ 1 per liter, how are you going to buy more expensive abroad and sell at a loss here?”

The difference reflects the rise in international oil prices, which came close to the record set in 2008 after the start of the war in Ukraine, without passing through to domestic fuel prices.

At first, Petrobras stated that it would observe the market before deciding on increases, but now it defends a solution for the impact of any adjustments to be smoothed out for the consumer.

Since the beginning of the week, the government has been holding meetings to try to design an alternative. The energy sector defends a subsidy along the lines of the one implemented by the Michel Temer government during the truck drivers’ strike, but the Ministry of Economy wants to avoid additional expenses.

This Wednesday (9), international oil prices fell from the peaks reached during the week, but remain at high levels. The appreciation of the real against the dollar also relieves the pressure on Petrobras.

Even so, in the market’s assessment, the fall would not have been enough to reset the lags, which, according to Abicom, started the day at 40% for diesel and 30% for gasoline.

“The ideal is for Petrobras to maintain international price parity so that we can have product on the market and not have a shortage”, says Miranda. “Expensive price is terrible, but worse than that is missing the product.”