Diesel Shortage Alerts Traders In The Sector, Such As Truck Drivers And Importers

With Risk of Shortage in the Second Semester of the Year, The Lack of Diesel May Harm Truck Drivers and Businesspeople in the Sector

The risk of diesel shortage in this second semester of the year may worsen due to special consumption for seasonal reasons, such as vacations in the Northern Hemisphere, harvest, and circumstantial factors, harming truck drivers and merchants.

With the low level of global diesel stocks and the price difference in relation to the foreign market, the risk of diesel shortage has entered the radar of the product network, which has a record of specific problems, mainly concerning truck drivers, who always point out the fuel price.

This Tuesday, 24, the FUP (Unified Federation of Oil Workers) published a note warning of the risk of diesel supply shortage due to the lack of diesel at the beginning of the second semester of the year, affecting truck drivers and merchants in the sector.

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In contrast, the president of Abicom, Sérgio Araújo, said that Brazil will not go unnoticed regarding the lack of diesel, which is at a global level, especially if Petrobras does not align diesel prices with foreign prices, as has already been suggested by truck drivers due to the high fuel price.

The difference in diesel price this Thursday, 26, was lower, around 2%, but the price is unstable to the variation of the dollar price, so much so that on March 8 it reached 28%, thus, the price may vary especially now with the diesel shortage.

Truck Drivers Complain About Diesel Shortage

Truck drivers, who already had complaints regarding the price of diesel, are currently complaining about the lack of it. In a note, the president of Abrava, Wallace Landim, stated: “We demand honesty regarding the diesel stock for the national market.”

“As of now, there is no shortage, but I am concerned,” he reported this Thursday, 26, to Estadão/Broadcast, since the lack of the fuel can create problems for truck drivers and merchants in the sector, such as importers.

Paulo Miranda, former president of Fecombustíveis, reported that specific problems have already occurred at unbranded gas stations. On this, he said: “I do not have reports of systemic shortages, but we have had cases where gas stations in the interior of Ceará ran for up to three days without fuel; it’s like a bakery being three days without bread to sell,” he compared.

Paulo also explains that the famous brands, such as Ipiranga, Shell (Raízen), and Vibra, account for about 70% of the diesel sold by Petrobras and import the rest, offsetting the price deficit between the national and international markets, while unbranded stations purchase little from Petrobras and rely on local importers, putting them at a disadvantage.

The risk of diesel shortage in the second semester of this year 2022 may worsen with extra consumption for seasonal and circumstantial reasons, greatly harming merchants in the area, such as truck drivers.

In addition to the return of the economy with the end of the quarantine imposed due to COVID-19, the war between Russia and Ukraine has led to an increase in diesel sales to Europe in an effort to cover the cuts in oil and gas supply from Russia.

With low diesel stocks, the United States is also experiencing a demand for diesel above normal, which drastically reduces the supply for foreign countries.

Biodiesel Producers Push for Frequent Use of Fuel

The risk of diesel shortage in the second semester of 2022 in the country has led the biodiesel sector to advocate for an increase in the biodegradable mixture to common diesel, from 10% to 14%.

According to Francisco Turra, president of Aprobio (Board of Directors of the Brazilian Association of Biofuel Producers), adding more clean fuel would be a great option to reduce potential impacts at the fuel pumps of fuels.

Brazil spent around US$ 1.4 billion on the import of common diesel in April alone, the highest monthly loss with diesel import since November 2012.

So far this year 2022, diesel imports total approximately US$ 3.4 billion, likely increasing in value in the second semester of the year if diesel trading in the foreign market becomes more active, according to experts.

“An assessment showed that each percentage point increase in biodiesel content results in a benefit to society of R$ 30 billion per year, accounting for social, environmental, public health, and economic aspects, reducing costs, increasing production, creating new jobs, and improving quality of life with reduced environmental pollution,” said Turra.