The posters of the oil company YPF change almost daily
National oil company YPF said yesterday that gasoline prices across the country had fallen by an average of two percent. However, the measure, which is being applied gradually and with different regional differences, is still not reflected at the gas pumps in La Plata and the region, despite the expectations raised among motorists.
The volatility of the price at YPF pumps presents a difficulty in determining whether the announced reduction will be applied. For example, the cost of premium gasoline over the weekend in La Plata was 1,623 pesos per liter and yesterday, at the start of the new business week, it was 1,607 pesos. This difference of 16 pesos does not correspond to 2 percent, but only 1 percent.
The announcement of the reduction was made by the company’s president and CEO, Horacio Marín, who explained that the company applies a “micro-pricing system”, a pricing system that adjusts fuel values based on regional variables such as logistics costs, the demand structure and the characteristics of each market. Under this criterion, the announced cancellation will not be transmitted to all gas stations in the same way or at the same time.
In this context, the sales industry recognizes that there is still uncertainty about how and when the reduction will be reflected in the province of Buenos Aires. “At the moment there is not much information, it is not known where or at which gas stations the reduction will be applied. In addition, it will not be 2% in a uniform way, but it will be gradual,” said Juan Carlos Basilico, member of the Fuel Chamber of Buenos Aires Province.
As Marín explained, the decision to reduce gasoline prices is intended to help curb inflation in December, in a scenario in which YPF constantly monitors key factors such as the international price of crude oil, the exchange rate, and operational and logistics costs. The company emphasized that the pricing policy will continue to be adjusted to the evolution of these variables, which opens the possibility of new changes in fuel values.
In La Plata, the gas stations surveyed said that prices have not changed significantly so far, apart from the price volatility that can be observed almost daily at the state oil company’s gas stations. The gradual implementation of the measure explains that in some regions of the country it will “decrease a little every day, but not the same everywhere”.
On the other hand, the YPF leadership clarified that the situation with diesel is different than with gasoline. In this segment, the company evaluates increases in specific product types, which characterizes differentiated dynamics within the general fuel pricing policy.
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