The lack of water in the state of Nuevo León has not only caused an intermittent supply of bottled water, but also soft drinks, juices, and even mineral water, which are not easily found in the metropolitan area.
In this regard, Javier Arteaga, president of Canaco, said the case of the shortage of bottled water and soft drinks has been due to the water crisis, in addition to the fact that the demand for consumer liquids has grown exponentially.
“Sales growth is above 100 percent, that is, it has doubled by 180 percent, so the bottled water production plants are working 24 hours a day at full capacity and are not able to meet the demand that exists. The consumer, not finding bottled water, has switched to buying soft drinks, whose sales have increased by 30 percent compared to these same dates in 2021, “said the businessman.
Likewise, the shortage of some brands or flavors of soft drinks and juices is observed, however, it is not something that lasts days, since they take a short time to stock.
Beer has also been scarce, since some brands or presentations of beer, such as Tecate Light, are not found in convenience stores, beer stores and supermarkets in the Monterrey metropolitan area.
The Heineken Mexico company reported that like other companies and sectors, it faces a rise in raw materials such as aluminum and barley, but they are working to solve the conflict.
Prices increase due to the shortage
The shortage of bottles of water in convenience stores and supermarkets has caused an increase in the prices of the products that remain because although a month ago there were hundreds of 10-liter bottles of water, costing 35 pesos, today a liter of water costs between 8 and 11 pesos.
In the southern zone of Monterrey, there are only half-liter bottles because the supplier restricted the volume of bottles that can be consumed; a situation that began to occur as of June 4 when the state government limited the availability of water, causing panic purchases.
According to the Center for Economic Research (CIE) of the Autonomous University of Nuevo León (UANL), in April 2022 the drinking water rate showed monthly inflation of 0.62 percent, however, in the CPI of the Metropolitan Area of Monterrey, the rate reflected an increase of 31 percent.
Regarding the price of bottled water in March, the CIE said that it increased its price 8.07 percent annually; rise similar to that observed in the price of drinking water that reaches homes, of 7.47 percent, and the increase in rights for supply, of 7.48 percent.
