Rising beef prices in SC reach 25%

The increase in the price of beef in Santa Catarina reaches 25%. Exports to China are one of the reasons for rising values. Santa Catarina are looking for alternatives not to compromise the budget of home. Waiter Edenir Luis da Silva recently arrived from Argentina. And it took a walk in a supermarket in Chapecó, in the west of the state, to draw the conclusion: "I'm finding it absurd. The kilo of picanha was R $ 70 almost here in the city. And there is an average of R $ 35, R $ 34". Retired Orlando Villa seeks a balance in the accounts. "Like five days a chicken meat and one day a steak, not to lose the custom," he said. Explanations and perspectives One of the explanations for this increase is that beef previously sold to the Santa Catarina market is now going to China. The Asian country has lived for months with the swine fever and forced itself to replace pork with beef. The president of the Rural Union of Chapecó, Ricardo Lunardi, gave other explanations: "For a long time there was no readjustment of the meat, we were at the price out of it. That discouraged the production of the ox. Associated with this, the rise of the dollar, which was quite significant." The price hike impacted Marcio Sabadini, who owns a butcher shop. Last month, he paid R$ 9.80 for the kilo of the carcass. Today, it's $15. "Meat in Brazil today is equivalent, the value per kilo is equivalent to European countries. It's gone up and we don't have low prospects," he said.