General anesthesia

The agreement on fixing prices for socially important products has been extended until May 1

A new agreement on stabilizing prices for socially important products was signed yesterday at the Ministry of Agriculture by manufacturers and large chain operators. The list of goods for which prices will be frozen has not changed. Only the price fixation level has been revised. Until today, prices were fixed at the level of October 15, 2007. Already on the morning of February 1, the price tags for milk, bread and butter that have become familiar may change. At the same time, the maximum markup by retailers on these products should not exceed 10%. Yesterday prices were frozen as of January 28, 2008. None of the parties to the agreement reported yesterday about the maximum trading margin.

The jumps in food prices that irritate consumers began last spring. First, the excitement at the counters was caused by the rise in price of salt, then by sugar, and in the middle of summer the prices of bread began to rise. The increase in the cost of grain has affected pricing in livestock and poultry farming. In an attempt to stop rising prices, the government began to discuss the possibility of implementing grain interventions and introducing an export duty on exported grain. The idea of ​​freezing prices seemed utopian at first. However, by mid-autumn, “greetings from the Soviet past” became a reality. The government adopted a voluntary-forced price freeze against the backdrop of galloping food inflation.

A new agreement on price stabilization was signed by Unimilk, Wimm-Bill-Dann, Rosptitsesoyuz, Agropromsoyuz, Dairy Union of Russia, Oil and Fat Union, retail chains Auchan, Metro Cash & Carry, Kopeyka, Billa, X5 Retail Group, Association of Retail Companies (AKORT). The list of goods for which prices will be frozen has not changed. As before, it includes wheat and rye bread, milk of at least 1.5% fat, kefir of at least 1%, sunflower oil and chicken eggs. In this case, fixed prices will apply only to certain product items, and not to the entire range of listed products. So, among the packs of different types of butter, the consumer still needs to choose exactly the one that is subject to a retail price restriction. Moreover, nothing prevents sellers from compensating for lost profits on “social” products by raising prices for goods not included in this list.

The government has no idea how long prices will be kept down at the social level . Obviously, the “unfreezing” will take place no earlier than May, but it is difficult to predict how prices will behave by then. The spring months traditionally carry an “inflationary threat”: there is no new harvest yet, and old stocks of fruits and vegetables are running out. The longer prices are held back, the greater their jump may be. And it will most likely happen after six months of artificial containment, because the costs of producing socially significant products have increased during the “freeze.”

Irina SKLYAROVA