EN 
PT_BR 
Covid-19 cases have increased again in much of the world and generated concern among professionals in the Brazilian photovoltaic sector, who, since the beginning of the pandemic, have seen consecutive increases in the prices of equipment and sea freight.
This week, a new outbreak of the disease in China prompted authorities to publish a notice on the Ministry of Commerce website advising families to stock up on food to meet their daily needs.
The agency made no mention of a possible food shortage, but the local press even published lists of recommended goods to keep at home, including cookies, instant noodles, vitamins and flashlights. On social media, users reported that, after the government's announcement, Chinese people rushed to stock up on rice, cooking oil and salt.
Last Monday (3), Chinese authorities asked the population to limit travel after new cases of Covid-19 were registered in several regions of the country. One of them was the municipality of Shenzhen, where one of the main seaports in the world is located.
“The outbreak of the disease in China is spreading across several provinces and the government has adopted measures that give us signs that the country will close itself to the market again,” said Eudes Elias da Silveira, administrator and partner at Port Trade International, company specialized in the logistics of maritime products.
Read too: Manufacturers warn about price increases for solar equipment.
Despite the problems registered in China, Gustavo Tegon, co-founder of Esfera Solar, analyzes that the market should not register major changes in relation to what has already been occurring. “To date, we have not experienced any changes in shipments and prices of photovoltaic equipment due to the new wave of coronavirus in China,” he stated.
For the executive, regardless of the Covid-19 outbreak, the outlook for the remainder of the year was already an increase in the price of solar products. “What has happened in the last two months is a difficulty in production, international logistics and price increases due to the increase in solar energy sales in Brazil and around the world. This was something that the market had been predicting since the beginning of the year”, he highlighted.
