With the transfer of the last adjustment at Petrobras refineries, the price of diesel at Brazilian gas stations rose 3.2% this week and reached a new record since the beginning of the weekly price survey by the ANP (Agência Nacional do Petróleo, Gás e Biocombustíveis), in 2004.
The price of gasoline remained practically stable, but the rise of R$ 0.003 per liter took the product to a new record since the beginning of the agency’s research, despite the drop in the price of hydrous ethanol at the plants in São Paulo.
According to the ANP, the average price of diesel reached R$ 6.847 per litre. The figure is 2.9% higher than the record reached in the week of March 19, right after the mega-increases promoted by Petrobras, and 44% higher than the worst period of the 2018 truck drivers’ strike.
The agency found a liter of diesel at up to R$ 8,300, in Cruzeiro do Sul (AC). The maximum price detected by the agency this week, however, is 1.1% lower than the previous week, in Porto Seguro (BA).
In 12 states, the average price of fuel is already above R$ 7 per liter. The highest state average was found in Acre: R$ 8.067 per liter. Although dissatisfied with the climb, truck drivers are divided over the new stoppage.
The diesel price readjustment announced by Petrobras on Monday (9) led to the resignation of the Minister of Mines and Energy, Bento Albuquerque, who was replaced by Adolfo Sachsida, who was advising the Minister of Economy, Paulo Guedes.
The company claimed that it needed to monitor the evolution of international prices for the product, which already had lags greater than those seen before the mega-increase in March. The increase of 8.87%, however, was not enough to eliminate the difference.
According to data from Abicom (Brazilian Association of Fuel Importers), the gap between the average price of diesel in Brazilian refineries and the import parity is currently at R$ 0.57 per liter.
The difference is even greater in the price of gasoline, which had the last adjustment more than two months ago: R$ 1.07. The market, however, considers that Petrobras must bear losses for longer, given the government’s pressure against readjustments.
As soon as he took office, the new Minister of Mines and Energy promised studies to privatize the state-owned company. The following day, the government filed a lawsuit with the STF (Supreme Federal Court) to try to force the states to lower the ICMS tax on diesel.
At the pumps, the price of gasoline stood at R$ 7,298 per liter, against the previous record of R$ 7,295 per liter, reached last week, indicating that the drop in the price of anhydrous ethanol has not yet reached the pumps.
In two weeks, the biofuel that represents 27% of the mixture of gasoline sold in the stations retreated 7.7% in the plants of São Paulo.
Hydrous ethanol has been falling more intensely at the plants: in two weeks, it has accumulated a 13.7% decline. At the pumps, the average price of fuel dropped 2.1% this week, to R$5,323 per liter.
According to the ANP, the price of a 13 kilo gas cylinder remained stable again, at R$ 112.93. The value is 0.1% lower than the previous week, also indicating that the 5.6% cut promoted by Petrobras in early April has not yet reached the consumer.
The price of CNG (natural gas for vehicles) remained high, rising 0.7% in the week, to R$ 5.265 per cubic meter. The fuel is widely used by taxi drivers and app drivers in states that have a piped gas network.
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