RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – A study done by Fadeeac (Argentinean Federation of Business Entities of Cargo Transportation) showed that eight Argentinean provinces have little or no diesel supply at the gas stations. Furthermore, truckers are taking longer to fill up.
The survey that maps the diesel supply in Argentina also showed that the eight provinces with little or no fuel supply at the gas stations border Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia, and Chile.
The places with fuel shortages are: Jujuy, Salta, Formosa, Tucumán, Misiones, Corrientes, Entre Ríos, and Santa Fe (in red on the map below), in the north of the country.
In another seven provinces, the average supply is only 20 liters per unit: Chaco, Santiago del Estero, Córdoba, San Juan, Mendoza, Buenos Aires, and the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires (CABA) (orange).
In three locations, supplies are between 21 and 50 liters per unit: Catamarca, La Rioja, and San Luis (darker yellow). The truckers in La Pampa (light yellow) can buy from 51 to 100 liters per unit.
The remaining provinces (in green) are with normal supply.
The president of Fadeeac, Roberto Guarnieri, attributes the fuel shortage to the lack of foreign exchange between the countries.
“The shortage we are suffering has been going on for more than two months. We understand that it is not an easy issue to solve, but it is clear that it is a problem caused by the lack of foreign exchange and the difficulty of moving quickly on the required policies,” Guarnieri said.
According to Guarnieri, “for several weeks now,” hundreds of Bolivian trucks have been going to pick up the fuel that Bolivia imports at the Argentine port of Campana. “Meanwhile, in Argentina, we have trucks stranded on the side of the road for lack of diesel,” he said.
“If a solution is not found urgently, we will see shortages. We can’t get the harvest promptly or the livestock or the food. Industry, in general, will start to feel the consequences. Fuel is an essential element to be able to fulfill our task. More than 90% of Argentina’s economy moves by truck,” said the Fadeeac leader.
WAITING TIME
According to the study, the lack of regular fuel supply is reflected in the waiting time for refueling:
- 26% of the truckers who responded to the survey said they waited more than 12 hours to refuel;
- 31% waited between 6 and 12 hours;
- another 26%, between 3 and 6 hours;
- and 17%, between 2 and 3 hours.
“The damage caused by this situation is extensive, from an economic and social point of view. The waiting time and the uncertainty of a carrier who doesn’t know when he will leave, nor when he will arrive at his destination, cause huge losses,” commented Guarnieri.
With information from Poder360
More: Argentina news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Read More from The Rio Times