Since December, when Javier Milei took office as President and made a U-turn in economic policy, the "quick trips" of Brazilians to Argentina for shopping have plummeted. Now, some Argentinians even start to make the opposite move, something that hadn't been seen for years.
The travel agency of Rodinei Luís, 51, which used to take about 80 people per month departing from Santa Rosa (RS), now transports a small group that went fishing and decided to bring items that are still worth it.
In 2023, crossings to Argentina surged, with the country's inflation on the rise and the peso increasingly devalued against the dollar and the real. There were 2.4 million trips, against 1.5 million the previous year.
This changed after Milei ended price freezes and promoted a strong devaluation of the local currency (which previously had an unreal value compared to the dollar), aiming for his main objectives: correcting prices, balancing public accounts, stopping money printing, and containing historical inflation.
In February, he celebrated his second consecutive month of surplus. On the other hand, he saw poverty rise to 57% of the population.