Paraguay presented the Liquefied Petroleum Gas Market Observatory, an electronic platform for information and consultation of LPG

This MIC release was published using machine translation.

The Ministry of Industry and Commerce (MIC), through the General Directorate of Fuels, dependent on the Vice Ministry of Commerce and Services, presented the Liquefied Petroleum Gas Market Observatory, a technical tool for information and consultation on related issues with the national LPG market, of a public nature and whose management is in charge of the aforementioned ministerial direction, with the participation of the LPG market players. The event held in the Auditorium Hall of the MIC, was chaired by the Vice Minister of Commerce and Services, Pedro Mancuello, and composed of the director of the National Standardization Body of the National Institute of Standardization, Technology and Metrology (INTN), Luis Fleitas, and the president of the Paraguay Gas Chamber (CAPAGAS), Pedro Balotta, and the presentation of the new information platform, was in charge of the general director of the General Directorate of Fuels, Luis Villalba.

Vice Minister Mancuello stressed that from the beginning they pointed to the technology of the processes, beginning with the inspection, which correspond to a transparent criterion, from the selection of the inspectors, the institution to be audited and the minutes. He recalled that in 2019, they specified the implementation of the MIES System, which is a map that refers to all the service stations in the country, and which is available to anyone who wishes to access this data. "This is one of our commitment to the institutions, when we let the technicians work, and we have results with the meritocracy, which allow us to continue working on issues that will add competitiveness to the system," said the vice minister of the MIC.

He also pointed out that they have the challenge of traceability of the LPG product for next year, taking into account that this business is very important. "It is a sector that has been working in a very orderly and competitive manner. We are satisfied that we are working, building and improving, with the commitment and promise to continue doing so and to continue applying technology, transparency and meritocracy. It is a job joint between the public-private sector, and with the institutions that we need, to put at the service of the companies the greatest possible competitiveness. Many times the standards generate a certain cost of compliance and some time of dedication. The construction of standards is our own. of the countries that are advancing. We cannot get rid of that. We have an active participation within MERCOSUR, and in the region. The balance that we consider is how we do so that the standards give us traceability, transparency, competitiveness, on the one hand and that this does not translate into a cost for companies, entrepreneurs and consumers. This is the work we are doing and for that it is important. nte information and technology, "said Deputy Minister Mancuello.

The president of CAPAGAS, Pedro Balotta referred to the percentages of sale of carafes, indicating that between 52 and 53% of the sale of carafes, 38% is the sale at service stations, fractionated gas, and The rest of the percentage is the industry that has been growing every year, more than the import of gas. "There are charging laws in the service stations of 2005, as well as new resolutions that were incorporated. Some we have to change, such as the issue of belonging to the carafes, given the growth of all fractionating companies, which invested in storage plant, "he added.

Regarding the importation of gas, he said that today Paraguay imports from Bolivia, and that with the construction of the route undertaken by the National Government, in a short time they will be solving the difficulties in certain sections of the Transchaco. Regarding commercialization, he pointed out that gas products are currently reaching the entire country. "We are reaching the whole country, being able to commercialize, so that the population has access to this product. Regarding the industries, today we are doing a very important engineering work with all the fractionators, and with our technicians we are transforming several of them ", highlighted the president of the union, who emphasized that apart from having access to a product throughout the year, they improved in several points, including the environment.

The MIC Fuel Director, Luis Villalba, explained the details of the LPG Market Observatory, pointing out that people will be able to access the platform from any device. Also, he stressed that the gas product is sensitive in the domestic economy and that it does not stop, since everyone needs LPG.

Referential instrument.

The general objective of the observatory is to facilitate decision-making regarding the application of commercial policy instruments in the field of fuels and derivatives, through the generation, collection, analysis, interpretation and dissemination of relevant information on the national market of the Liquefied Petroleum Gas, understood as such, among others those related to imports, with: Total volume of LPG imports, updated month by month; Volume of LPG imports by type of product (LPG - Butane - Propane mixture); Volume of imports classified by importing companies, by type of product and by month; Average prices at origin by products and per month .; Volume of imports according to their origin (Argentina - Bolivia) and type of product (mix - Butane - Propane), Annual comparison of imports by product, by month of volume and price.

Regarding the "Market structure", it will be possible to see: Total sales volume of Liquefied Petroleum Gas; Participation in the LPG Market of each company according to the volume of commercialization of its sales, total and monthly; Annual comparison of sales per product, per month of volume; Comparison of sales period 2020 - 2021 and Average prices by product and by companies.

It should be noted that with a sufficient historical series, the observatory allows the creation of a statistical data bank that, if the indicators are correctly interpreted, can function as an early warning system in the event of damaging changes in the environment of the national Liquefied Petroleum Gas market, reducing the times reaction.