Responsible for 70% of Brazil’s rice production, Rio Grande do Sul saw its commodity crop lost amid the heavy rains of recent days. The situation has already started to affect other states that consume the cereal and, in Ceará, the increase in wholesale kilos has already reached 9.8% in one month, according to Odálio Girão, market analysis at Centrais de Abastecimento do Ceará S/A.
A kilo of the product went from R$5.75 in April to R$6.40 on average this Thursday (9), around two weeks after the tragedy began. The situation in Rio Grande do Sul, with the storms expected to continue, should continue to put pressure on prices in Ceará. “Our wholesaler has its reserve, but we don’t know how long it will last because rice is very present on Brazilian Day”, says Girão.
The instability in the price of rice is mainly due to the impact of rain in the main producing municipalities in Rio Grande do Sul: Dona Francisca, Itaqui, Santa Vitória das Palmas and São Borja. The cities in question had their entire harvest lost. “It became impossible to collect. In the absence of rice, we will have to import to balance”, ponders the market analyst.
Prices and purchase limit
Last Wednesday (8), Diário do Nordeste reported that Atacadão Lag, located in the Mondubim neighborhood, was limiting the purchase of Tio Manoel brand products to five units per CPF under the justification of the risk of shortages.
Despite the Lag restriction notice, removed this Thursday morning (9), as the report found, supermarkets and other cash and carry stores are not limiting the purchase of the product. At Ceasa, however, there are reports from wholesalers about suppliers who are limiting the purchase of rice, according to Odálio Girão.
Yesterday, the president of the Cearense Supermarket Association (Acesu), Nidovando Pinheiro, said that supply is normal in the State and that the product was already showing an upward trend in price before the tragedy in the South.
The report visited several establishments this Thursday, including supermarkets and wholesale stores in Fortaleza, and found prices ranging up to R$ 8.29 per kilogram of rice. In the column, a consumer reported that she felt an increase in product prices in the last week.
Storms may affect other products
In addition to rice, Rio Grande do Sul is an important producer of meat, corn and soy. Odálio explains that the corn produced in the region is used to supply the herd in the South, which sends the meat to the rest of the country. “This could affect the prices of sausages”, he assesses.
The climate tragedy in Rio Grande do Sul has already caused 107 deaths as of this Thursday morning (9). Another 136 people are missing.
Tags: Rice prices risen wholesale product sold R8 .29 supermarkets Fortaleza Ingrid Coelho
