very clever who could have imagined a few months ago still, the sudden interest of States, businesses and individuals to the protections of health today become indispensable, coronavirus requires. In a survey published Sunday, August 9, the JDD looks as well on the soaring price of disposable masks.
This health protection, compulsory in France in enclosed public places and, increasingly, outside, however, is produced in very large quantities since the beginning of the health crisis. Nevertheless, her prize was multiplied by 19 in france, from about 0.05 euro before the pandemic to 0.95 euro TTC today (price capped by decree), says the Sunday paper.
"Americans have captured some of our cargo"
based traders in Asia explain that in march-April, at the height of the crisis in France, a disposable mask was sold by the chinese companies in the vicinity of 0.20 euro. For the consumer, the cost amounted to 0.35 euro (0,40 euro with taxes). An increase was already significant, which was explained by the " two factors ", explains the Newspaper of Sunday, a government expert : "on the one hand, global demand has rocketed during the crisis and, on the other, the main raw material has become rare, therefore expensive. "
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This " raw material ", that is, the meltblown, a veil of non-woven polypropylene, which filter the particles. The same source states that " the price of this plastic had been multiplied by 15 ". To these technical considerations, it must, at the time, to add to the chaos, in particular, on the tarmacs. "This is not an urban legend. Despite the close links that had been woven for years, Americans who were paying all in cash, in dollars, have captured some of our cargoes, " said a familiar markets in asia.
"We never had orders French'
This is for the period between march and April, where Europe and the United States were engaged in a competition unique to the masks. Still, their price is always much higher in France, than it was before the crisis. The output of chinese factories or indian, one unit is sold, however, between 0.04 and 0.07€. The problem of the Hexagon, in fact, comes from the controls, which are simply not in the past. "We are solicited by central purchasing bodies hospital of countries such as South Africa or Colombia, who want to proceed with the least intermediaries possible and resell it at them almost at cost price. But we never order French so that our promise of the mask to 0.12 euro should appeal to ", explains one of the officers of the company, ZKS, based in hong Kong.
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A trader the company's New Trends, Asia-Pacific, abounds : "We do not understand that the government or French companies, we do not rely on the price of hides has dropped by 70 %. "For him, the explanation lies in the stocks already formed at the time when the masks were selling at a high price. "All the world was at the height of the crisis, reserves, crowded, that it is necessary to take today ", adds the same source. Good news all the same for French consumers : the price should eventually drop once the large retailers and wholesalers will have drained their inventory. According to the weekly, supermarkets and hypermarkets are planning to divide their price by two when the return to school, and this, due to several factors : the supply is plentiful and deliveries are now by boat. "The aircraft has accounted for between a third and half the price of a mask ", details and a buyer of a large French company.
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