55% of Argentines live below the poverty line, the Church denounces a food emergency

One in four Argentines suffers from food insecurity, according to a report by the Caritas association. The Argentine Catholic Church is mobilizing. Argentines who can do so shop in Chile, where prices are much lower.

According to a report from the Argentine Catholic University, 55% of Argentines live below the poverty line, including 17.5% in a situation of indigence, the highest rate since 2002, in the aftermath of the economic crisis which had disrupted the country. Since Javier Milei came to power in December 2023, there are five million more poor people. Faced with this worrying situation, the Argentine government is sticking to its positions. The Argentine Catholic Church denounces a food emergency and mobilizes.

In this context, hundreds of Argentinians cross the border to do their shopping on the other side of the Andes, in Chile, where prices are much more attractive. This is not something unusual between the two countries, but the trend has accelerated considerably in recent months.

The devaluation caused by the government upon the arrival of Javier Milei in December, the liberalization of prices, inflation of 65% in six months, an increase in energy and transport prices, a recession in industry, everything this affects Argentines and is reflected in the latest economic figures. Faced with this worrying situation, the government is sticking to its positions and refusing to face reality.

The week of May 27, the Argentine president uttered one of his little polemical sentences, this time from the United States in California, where he met the giants of global tech, the CEO of Google, Open Al, as well as Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg in hopes of finding investors. “Do you think people are stupid? That they’re not going to make the right decision? At some point, they’re going to starve, so they’re definitely going to do everything they can to not die. Therefore, I do not need to intervene to solve the consumption problem. The problem will resolve itself.”said Javier Milei during a speech at Stanford University, reaffirming his desire not to intervene.

The Argentine Catholic Church, generally rather discreet about its political positions, is now making its voice heard and denouncing a food emergency. The head of the Caritas organization, Bishop Tissera, presented on Monday June 3 a report from the association called “Radiography of Poverty”. According to this report, one in four Argentines today suffers from food insecurity, meaning they do not eat at every meal.

According to the bishop, the situation is critical. Not only are people hungry, but unemployment has increased, and when they do find work, they earn so little that they continue to live in poverty. There are 32% of working poor, or one in three people. Caritas and the Church have called for help from the State and the private sector to distribute meals to the poor and in particular to children, an estimated 15% of whom do not eat every day.

Meanwhile, 5.9 million kilos of food, which the government refuses to distribute, are rotting in hangars. This is one of the scandals of recent weeks, it all arose from a complaint made by Juan Grabois, a representative of social movements. The government denied this. The affair became publicized and Argentina discovered on television these mountains of food, powdered milk, lentils, mate grass about to expire.

The Ministry of Human Capital then declared that these foods were intended for a climate emergency. The court ordered him to distribute them immediately. Nothing has been done yet and in the face of the emergency, the Church decided to mobilize over the weekend of June 8 to raise funds to support soup kitchens and to counteract the government’s inaction in the face of the growing poverty.

It’s easy to recognize Argentines who come to do their shopping in Chile, since, in the stores, they drag their empty suitcases behind them, which they fill very quickly. This is the case of Vanina and her daughter Delfina, they arrived from Buenos Aires by plane, and plan to stay four days in the Chilean capital to tour the shopping centers. They have set a maximum budget of 1,800 euros and they guarantee it, even with the price of the plane ticket, the trip is very profitable.

These are Argentinians who have a certain purchasing power. This is also the case for Cayetano, a young man from Mendoza, a town near the border, he drove all night for a day of shopping. And to make the trip worthwhile, he plans to spend between 500 and 1,000 euros. “The price difference between the two countries is abysmal. It’s half or more cheaper, especially for clothing and electronics”explains this young man.

The trend has been constant for at least two months, observes Tomas Saba, manager of a shopping center north of the Chilean capital, very popular with Argentines. On weekends, they represent up to 50% of the clientele, he explains. Some Argentines have also sensed a good plan: they buy in Chile at a lower cost and then resell, a little more expensive, on the other side of the Cordillera.