The National Food Basket Survey, carried out by the Inter-Union Department of Statistics and Socioeconomic Studies (Dieese), revealed that in August there was a price reduction in 16 of the 17 Brazilian capitals analyzed and only in Brasília there was an increase.
The basic food basket in the federal capital increased by 0.35% in August and stood at R$689.98, being the sixth most expensive – behind Porto Alegre (RS), São Paulo (SP), Florianópolis (SC), Rio de Janeiro (RJ) and Campo Grande (MS).
Based on this scenario, CUT-DF held a virtual debate on Thursday night (14), with the president of the Central, Rodrigo Rodrigues, and economist Mariel Angeli, a Dieese technician. On the occasion, they debated various aspects of the pricing of the DF’s basic food basket, which is one of the most expensive in the country, as well as data from the latest survey, in which only Brasília did not record a reduction in food prices.
:: Basic food basket prices fall in most capitals, and minimum wage increases purchasing power ::
“The economic situation for workers here in the DF is very complex, because it is a place with a type of occupation that is very different from other capitals in Brazil”, highlighted Mariel.
According to her, the DF has a very large income disparity, with thousands of public servants with better salaries and another part of the population working in the formal or informal private sector with very low pay.
“The costs here are much higher than in most capitals,” said the Dieese economist to explain Brasília’s position with one of the most expensive basic food baskets in Brazil.
Rodrigo Rodrigues recalled that despite the increase in the real minimum wage (above inflation) this year, the DF’s basic food basket at R$689.98 represents more than half of that value.
“This is the amount that the worker needs to provide basic food. So, this is very discrepant and has a huge impact on the worker’s life”, analyzed Rodrigues, who also recalled that this value is estimated for the food of one person, but most families are larger.
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CUT-DF promotes virtual debate with economist Mariel Angeli / CUT/Disclosure
Definition of food
According to economist Mariel Angeli, the definition of foods in the basic food basket takes into account several studies and Brazilian legislation. “The definition of the basic food basket comes from the decree creating the minimum wage”, he explained, adding that: “it is written (in the decree) that the minimum wage has to be sufficient to deal with the needs, among others, of workers’ food” .
The basic basket researched by Dieese considers 13 products: banana, tomato, needle rice, French bread, carioquinha beans, wheat flour, whole milk, premium beef, potatoes, soy oil, coffee powder, refined sugar and butter. Among these products, the increase, over 12 months in the DF, in the prices of potatoes (14.81%) and tomatoes (71.80%) stands out.
:: For the second month in a row, Porto Alegre has the most expensive basic food basket in the country ::
Family agriculture
According to Mariel Angeli, it is important to invest in family farming as a strategy to reduce the price of some foods in the basic food basket in DF, especially because the city has a geographical position that makes logistics more expensive. “We have a green belt. We have local production, mainly from Brazlândia, which serves the local economy and reduces prices that would be much higher”, noted the economist.
Source: BdF Distrito Federal
Editing: Márcia Silva
