Argentina: in the face of inflation, long queues for food aid

The queue for a soup kitchen in the province of Buenos Aires on April 12, 2021. AFP - RONALDO SCHEMIDT

Text by: RFI Follow

2 mins

In Argentina, 37% of the population currently lives below the poverty line.

This is 3% less than six months ago according to an official survey published Wednesday evening.

Despite this improvement, the purchasing power of Argentines continues to be weighed down by galloping inflation, which exceeded 50% over the past year.

Many Argentines are thus forced to resort to the soup kitchen.

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With our correspondent in Buenos Aires

,

Théo Conscience

Like every day, the queue is getting longer in front of the premises of this solidarity canteen, also called comedor, in the suburbs of Buenos Aires.

 I came to get the food they distribute from Monday to Friday at noon

 ,” explains this woman.

Sabrina started coming to this comedor a year and a half ago.

Today, she is leaving home with rations of chicken stew for her three children: “ 

The oldest is 10 years old, my daughter is 7, and the little one is going to be 4 years old.

 »

The increase in food prices

Lorena Moreira scrapes the bottom of a large saucepan.

This cook explains that this canteen distributes more than 300 meals a day: “ 

We see more and more people coming, children, adults, elderly people.

We do what we can with what we have. 

»

But every day the soup gets a little thinner, partly because of inflation.

In February alone, food prices rose more than 8% in greater Buenos Aires.

Canteens forced to close shop

For the social organisations, the task is more and more complicated, laments Pedro Luque, the person in charge of this comedor: “ 

It is currently difficult to maintain a canteen open all week.

The consequence is that people from other neighborhoods come here, because the canteen in their neighborhood has closed. 

»

In this soup kitchen, everyone fears that the rise in prices caused by

the war in Ukraine

will further aggravate the situation.

To read: Argentina: the IMF approves aid of 44 billion dollars

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  • Argentina

  • Poverty

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