The Ministry of Antimonopoly Regulation and Trade (MART) said when they will be ready to introduce state regulation of prices for Belarusian fruits and vegetables. So far, according to the head of the trade and public catering department of the department, Natalya Melnikova, there is no such need, but under certain circumstances the ministry is ready to “take tough measures.”
As the MART representative explained, according to the current legislation, the price of goods in Belarus is formed as follows: first, the price of the product is set by the manufacturer, and then the maximum trade markup is set on top of it, taking into account the wholesale markup. Today, for fruits and vegetables, this premium is 30% – prices cannot be raised above it, but below it it is possible.
However, the price of Belarusian vegetables and fruits, according to the MART representative, is already “very low”, so there is no need to introduce additional price regulation for it, reported BelTA agency.
“If we see a price imbalance primarily in the Russian Federation, where it will be profitable for our manufacturer to sell goods for export in one carload and immediately receive money by leaching the resource on the market, without looking at stabilization funds, then MART will take tough measures,” – Melnikova explained.
So far, according to her, the department “does not see an increase in prices for fruits and vegetables in the future.”
“But if this happens, there will be price regulation,” she added.
Earlier, the Minister of Antimonopoly Regulation and Trade Alexey Bogdanov promised Belarusians “a decent, affordable price for domestic apples” this season. What does this mean in monetary terms – an increase in price or a decrease in the price of the most accessible fruit for Belarusians and will Belarusian apples disappear from the shelves by spring?
As Telegraf previously reported, in October MART changed the Instructions on the procedure for establishing and applying regulated prices and tariffs. Now sellers are allowed to include in the price of goods payment for the services of third-party organizations or individual entrepreneurs for the delivery of goods.
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