Crisis makes Argentines give up barbecue, and meat consumption reaches lowest level in 30 years | Economy

Argentines are eating less meat

The economic crisis is making Argentines give up one of their national symbols: barbecue. Beef consumption per inhabitant fell 18.5% in the country in one year, reaching the lowest level in 30 years.

The data is reflected in the empty butcher’s shop. “We are selling very little”, comments Alberto, at the counter of an establishment.

When asked by the news report TV Globo, he explains that there were six sales on the day. “Very little compared to before”, when there were between 20 and 30 per day.

The butcher says he cannot explain to customers that he is forced to raise prices. He points out that a kilo of roast beef costs 8,300 pesos, while an employee earns between 200,000 and 230,000. So he can’t pay.

This scenario would be bad anywhere. But for one of the world’s biggest beef exporters, it sounds worse.

Livestock farming in Argentina dates back to the arrival of the Spanish. And meat exports partly explain the country’s period of greatest growth at the turn of the 20th century.

It was for economic reasons, then, that Argentina became known for its barbecue — one of the best in the world, according to international chefs. Now, imagining that the country’s middle class cannot afford meat is yet another sad portrait of the economic crisis affecting Argentina.

Meanwhile, the tourist trail smells like meat on the grill. Alexander, for example, lives in Vienna and went to Argentina just to try the delicacy. He says that, in Europe, Argentine cuts have a good reputation.

In this sense, the award-winning chef at the San Telmo market in Buenos Aires has no complaints. “Thank God, we are doing very well”, says Rodrigo Moreira.

The cook explains that, in terms of international prices, the country’s meat is very economical. On the other hand, for Argentines, it is more expensive to buy.

The director of the Department of Economics at the Catholic University of Argentina, Ignacio Warnes, explains that it is a context in which consumption in the country suffers as a result of a series of economic problems.

One of them is inflation, which has been affecting the country for several years. Warnes recalls that, in December last year, the index exceeded 25% per month — very high levels that are slowly decreasing.

The rise in prices in the country has slowed down in the last three months. In March, it was 11% — Still, the rate is 287.9% in one year.

“One of the factors that really keeps us coming back is the meat. We ate some meat today that he cut with a spoon”, says Brazilian Tatiana Botelho.

“You pay a little more than before, but we can do it. Unfortunately, they are going through this difficulty”, adds Tatiana’s partner, Fagner Muzimoto.