Argentine government announces food allowance for people with no income in the face of high inflation

The Argentine Minister of Economy, Productive Development, Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, Sergio Massa, announced yesterday, Thursday, details of a food allowance for people without income, whose scope is estimated at about two million beneficiaries.

The new measure called “Food Reinforcement for Adults without Income” and whose implementation is in charge of the National Administration of Social Security (ANSES) foresees the allocation in installments of 45,000 Argentine pesos (293 dollars, according to the official exchange rate) starting next November.

“With the Executive Director of ANSES, Fernanda Raverta, we coordinated the implementation of the enrollment for the Food Reinforcement for Adults without Income that will start on October 24. It will be 45,000 pesos in 2 installments of 22,500 pesos (146.5 dollars) in November and December”, Massa expressed through his virtual account on the social network Twitter.

The head of the economic portfolio added that “people between 18 and 64 years old who do not receive income, assistance from the State or have registered assets” can access this allowance.

According to the requirements informed by the ANSES, the beneficiaries will not be able to receive any type of state assistance, which includes social programs such as the Universal Child Allowance, Pregnancy Allowance, Family Allowances, “Progresar” scholarships aimed at young people, unemployment allowances, socio-productive inclusion programs such as “Potenciar Trabajo”, among others.

Likewise, those reached by this income will also not be able to count on medical benefits or private insurance.

“In addition, information will be crossed with other agencies to evaluate the socioeconomic situation”, informed ANSES.

The new state allowance announced by the Executive is generated amid high inflation that accumulated 66.1 percent so far this year and that in year-on-year terms reached in September its highest level in three decades (83 percent).

In the last twelve months, the value of food in Argentina increased by 86.6 percent, being the third item that registered the highest price variation behind clothing and restaurants and hotels, according to data from the National Institute of Statistics and Censuses (INDEC).

The prices of Argentina’s Basic Food Basket and Total Food Basket registered a year-on-year variation of 89 percent and 81.8 percent, respectively, last September, INDEC reported the day before.