Several Brazilian capitals recorded an increase in the price of basic food baskets in December. São Paulo is the capital where the basket is most expensive. The average cost reached R$845.95. In second was Florianópolis, with an average of R$801.29, followed by Rio de Janeiro, R$792.06, and Cuiabá, R$791.29. The data comes from Dieese, which, together with Conab, publishes the National Food Basket Survey monthly.
In the cities of the North and Northeast, where the composition of the basket is different, the lowest values were recorded in the cities of Aracaju, where the average cost is R$539.49; in Maceió, where, on average, it costs R$589.69, and in Porto Velho, with an average cost of R$592.01. The falls occurred in the North region: Porto Velho (-3.60%), Boa Vista (-2.55%), Rio Branco (-1.54%) and Manaus (-1.43%).
The only Brazilian capital where the average price did not vary was João Pessoa. Among the most important increases, Maceió had the biggest increase, of 3.19%, while Porto Velho recorded the biggest drop: 3.60%.
According to the research, one of the main reasons for the increase in the value of the basic food basket was premium beef, which rose in 25 of the 27 capitals, due to the increase in demand and the restricted supply of the protein. Another product that registered an increase was potatoes. The price of vegetables rose in all capitals, with the exception of Porto Alegre, where the price fell 3.57%. In Rio de Janeiro, the increase reached 24.1%.
