Mônica Bergamo: Lira says that Petrobras ‘slapped the country in the face’ by increasing fuel

The president of the Chamber of Deputies, Arthur Lira (PP-AL), harshly criticized the mega-increase in fuel prices announced by Petrobras this Thursday (10th). The parliamentarian accused the state-owned company of insensitivity and classified the measure as “a slap in the face” for Brazil.

“I was amazed at Petrobras’ insensitivity towards Brazilians — the real owners of the company. Today’s increase was a slap in the face for a country that struggles to grow again,” he wrote in a publication on social networks.

“Anyone who knows Brazil, in addition to the offices and offices, knows the weight of buying a gas cylinder or filling the tank”, he continued.

“With the challenging global scenario, even the most orthodox governments are evaluating how to mitigate the impacts of cost pressure in all markets,” he added. The deputy is a candidate for reelection in this year’s election.

Pressured by the advance of oil prices with the war between Russia and Ukraine, Petrobras announced this Thursday (10) readjustments in the prices of gasoline, diesel and cooking gas. The increases come into effect this Friday (11).

In the case of gasoline, the adjustment for distributors is 18.8%. The average price at the state-owned refineries will go from R$3.25 to R$3.86 per liter. For diesel, the increase is even greater, at 24.9%. The value will rise by almost R$ 1 per liter, from R$ 3.61 to R$ 4.51.

According to the CBIE (Brazilian Infrastructure Center), they were the biggest readjustments at least since the beginning of the current pricing policy, in 2016. With the increases announced this Thursday, the price of gasoline sold by Petrobras has risen by 24.5% in 2022. The price of diesel sold by the state-owned company rose 35%.

Considering that the gasoline sold by Petrobras represents 73% of the mixture sold at gas stations — the rest is anhydrous ethanol — the readjustment at the refineries will have an impact of R$ 0.44 per liter, raising the national average price to around R$ 7 per liter. first time in history.

The average price of diesel, considering that all other installments remain unchanged, would reach a value around R$ 6.40 per liter.

Cooking gas, known as LPG (liquefied petroleum gas), will have its first adjustment after 152 days. The average sale price for distributors will go from R$3.86 to R$4.48 per kilo, an adjustment of 16.1%.

The final average price of the 13-kilogram cylinder, most used in homes, has remained stable at around R$102 in recent weeks. With the adjustment by Petrobras, it could rise to around R$ 110, if all other components remain at the same current level.

The readjustments were announced in the midst of a debate in the government and in Congress about the state-owned fuel price policy, which provides for the monitoring of international oil prices. This week, the change of model gained support from President Jair Bolsonaro (PL) himself.

_{with BIANKA VIEIRA, KARINA MATIAS and MANOELLA SMITH}