The agricultural activity allowed that the diesel sales did not fall as much as those of gasoline. In June, the dispatch of that fuel is 15% lower than that used in cars, which is still 41% lower than in February.
On average, stations dispatch 28% less liters and cubic meters than before the pandemic. Service stations are requesting assistance from the Executive Branch in the payment of salaries, through the Work and Production Assistance (ATP) program.
Héctor Huergo brings the highlights of agribusiness and regional economies.
Naphtha sales are 41% below, although the drop is strongest in places most affected by the quarantine. The city of Buenos Aires is 56% in relation to pre-pandemic levels.
One of the most spectacular falls is for “premium” gasoline. This segment falls more than 50%, due to the combination of a pandemic and reduced consumer spending.
On the other hand, there are places like the province of Córdoba, where the diesel dispatch is 1.7% above the February figures. Agricultural activity explains this slight increase.
In general, sales of gasoline and diesel fuel are divided the country in almost equal halves. Since quarantine, the share of car fuels fell to 38%. The lower mobility of people is the reason for this lower incidence.
“Most of the stationers are SMEs. Many of them have applied for loans, they are consuming their pocket savings to pay their salaries. It is a great damage. Although since this situation started, we continue to operate because they are considered essential, to Unlike other essential items, our sales plummeted, “says Gabriel Bornoroni, president of the Cecha chamber. The sector resorted to the help of the national government in plans that help pay salaries.
With prices frozen, station sales are down more than $ 25 billion since February. The stationers are asking their flags if there is any chance of price recomposition in the short term. The companies answer that the rhythm is set by YPF.
The relationship around the phases of quarantine also marks the pulse of fuel dispatch. In Córdoba, the drop was 15.8% and in Santa Fe 21%. Both provinces already have fewer restrictions than the city of Buenos Aires and the suburbs, which concentrate the majority of cases of contagion.
Still very far from what happened in February, there was still an improvement in June compared to May. In the Buenos Aires stations, there is an improvement of 20%. Tierra del Fuego has the highest monthly increase, with 65%. Jujuy, which had to go back in phase due to infections, registered a 5% drop.
In the first two months of the quarantine, the drop in sales had been more abrupt, reaching 67% in gasoline and 28% in diesel. The following months are of recovery, although it remains to return to the previous levels.
