After 82 days without adjustment, gasoline gap jumps to 13%, says association

Frozen for 82 days at Petrobras refineries, the price of a liter of gasoline already maintains a difference of 13% in relation to international prices, while the price of diesel records an average lag of 6%, after being readjusted on May 10 .

The rise reflects a new rise in the price of oil and oil products on the international market.

On Tuesday (31) the barrel of Brent reached US$ 120 a barrel, but this Wednesday (1) it operates around US$ 117 a barrel.

The exchange rate, which helped to keep prices closer to alignment in recent weeks, once again weighed negatively on the price of imports, with a moderate increase in early June.

According to the Brazilian Association of Fuel Importers (Abicom), if Petrobras wants to align prices, it will have to increase gasoline by R$0.56 and diesel by R$0.33.

A readjustment is expected at any moment, since with the lag, imports are not carried out by small and medium producers and increases the risk of shortages in the country.

Industry sources estimate that for the time being there is no evidence of a lack of diesel, as is already the case in Argentina, for example.

The expectation is that the current resigning president of the state-owned company, José Mauro Coelho, align prices to avoid a shortage of diesel in Brazil, since he would have nothing more to lose.

On Tuesday, Coelho was at the celebration of the 50th anniversary of Replan, the largest state-owned refinery, located in Campinas, São Paulo.

The executive works normally while waiting for his successor, which should only take place in two months. To try to explain the company’s prices, the reason for Coelho’s dismissal, Petrobras launched a new website this Wednesday (precos.petrobras.com.br).