Brazilian UHT Milk Prices Rose Across All Regions in July
UHT milk moved against the broader direction of Brazil’s food basket in July. While vegetables, eggs, cooking oil and coffee declined in price, the product became more expensive nationwide, according to data compiled by Neogrid. The company monitors more than 40m invoices each month, recording prices, products, brands, sales volumes and retail availability.
The strongest increase occurred in the Centre-West, where UHT milk prices rose 5.1% from June. The Southeast followed with a 4.7% increase. Prices advanced by 2.8% in the Northeast, 1.3% in the North and 0.2% in the South. The South therefore registered the smallest change, but remained the only region in the survey without a decline.
Other processed foods also became more expensive
Two other processed food products recorded monthly increases. Dry pasta rose 2.5%, while tomato purée increased 2.4%. The movements contrasted with a 9.8% national fall in vegetable prices, a 5.3% decline for eggs, and decreases of 1.3% for cooking oil and 0.8% for coffee.
Vegetable prices fell in every region, although the scale of the reductions varied. The Northeast recorded the largest decrease, at 13.9%, followed by the Centre-West at 12.9%, the Southeast at 11.9% and the South at 9.2%. The North had the smallest decline, at 2.3%.
Egg prices showed a different regional pattern. They dropped 19.1% in the Centre-West, 13.2% in the Northeast, 5.9% in the South and 2.1% in the North. In the Southeast, however, eggs became 1.6% more expensive, contrasting with the national average decline.
Inflation measures
Brazil’s official inflation figures also showed slower price growth in July. The IPCA consumer-price index increased 0.07%, compared with 0.16% in June. Food consumed at home fell 1.14% during the month, with tomatoes, potatoes and carrots among the products contributing most to the decline.
Neogrid said that lower retail prices alone do not establish that rural producers received correspondingly lower remuneration. The company also stated that price movements differ according to the product category and the region, reflecting the conditions of each market. The July increase in UHT milk was recorded across all regions included in the survey.
