Overview
- Industry representatives say millers told clients on Friday they will neither take new orders nor deliver flour through the election weekend, with some suppliers indicating a restart no earlier than Monday, Oct. 27.
- Martín Pinto of the Merlo Bakers’ Center and Buenos Aires province’s CIPAN accused suppliers of pausing sales based on expected market reactions to the vote.
- Bakeries report a severe demand slump over the past year and a half, estimating bread consumption has fallen about 50% as input costs for flour, yeast, fats and other basics surged.
- Reported closure figures conflict, with Pinto citing 14,000 shuttered bakeries nationwide in 18 months while the industry’s chamber reports about 1,700 closures, including more than 620 in Buenos Aires province.
- Bakers recently staged a ‘panazo’ in Merlo, giving away 4,000 kilos of bread to highlight the sector’s strain and warn that the delivery halt could spur short‑term shortages and price volatility.