State Control Committee: “Our vegetables are not expensive, imported vegetables are cheap”
Green onions’ price quintupled over the last few months in Belarus! Domestic onions good be bought in Kamarouski market for 4 thousands a kilo not so long ago. You will not find anything cheaper than 15 thousands a kilo there today.
“What did you expect? It’s not summer”, - said the administration of Kamarouski market to ERB:
“Green onions cost 15-20 thousands a kilo. The minimal price is 15 thousands a kilo and the maximum price is 20. Let’s speak candidly: all prices are going up now…”
Interestingly, the head of the State Control Committee Zyanon Lomats publicly expressed his indignation about the fact that Belarusian vegetables were more expensive than imported vegetables at the end of May, 2008. The official’s statement was quoted in many mass media. He also threatened to deal with the problem personally.
There was a demonstration flogging. However, ERB has found out that there were no infringements. Furthermore, the State Control Committee explained to us that “imported vegetables were probably too cheap”:
“No violation of price formation rules was discovered in the actions of domestic producers. Foreign products were probably imported at a rather low price. That is why imported… say, tomatoes were cheaper than Belarusian ones at some moment.
Belarusian vegetables’ price corresponded to the rules of price formation in our country. Who knows, maybe importers just dumped? Anyway, Belarusian producers did not violate the rules of price formation”.
Producers complained about low profitability and lack of sun. The director of a hotbed and greenhouse complex complained to ERB that a lot of money was being wasted on lighting onions in summer. According to him, there was no sun at all:
“We have a lot of expenses; we have to provide lighting for onions… How many sunny days have been observed this year? I think there was one out of 365”.
Let us remind you that the price for a kilo of onions reached 30 thousands in Minsk shops at the beginning of summer. The information differs from official data presented by the National Statistic Committee. The average price for green onions was about 4 thousands this year, informed the press secretary of the Belarusian Statistic Committee Alena Kandratsenka in an interview with ERB:
“The average price for green onions was 4 thousand 408 roubles in June across Belarus. It was 4775 roubles in July and 5 thousand 449 roubles in August”.
Onions in shops are available for practically the same price as they can be bought in markets now. An ERB listener bought green onions for 15750 a kilo. The price seemed too high to him… However, a supplier from the “Partyzan” unitary enterprise assured us that it was a normal market price:
“We do not form the price and we are not trying to increase it… We look at market prices and consider at what price we should buy them to sell them in shops at a price corresponding to market prices. For example, we bought onions for 3500 a kilo in July and we are buying them for 10500 now”.
It is not difficult to calculate that the extra charge was almost 50%. ERB will continue monitoring changes in the prices for Belarusian vegetables.
“What did you expect? It’s not summer”, - said the administration of Kamarouski market to ERB:
“Green onions cost 15-20 thousands a kilo. The minimal price is 15 thousands a kilo and the maximum price is 20. Let’s speak candidly: all prices are going up now…”
Interestingly, the head of the State Control Committee Zyanon Lomats publicly expressed his indignation about the fact that Belarusian vegetables were more expensive than imported vegetables at the end of May, 2008. The official’s statement was quoted in many mass media. He also threatened to deal with the problem personally.
There was a demonstration flogging. However, ERB has found out that there were no infringements. Furthermore, the State Control Committee explained to us that “imported vegetables were probably too cheap”:
“No violation of price formation rules was discovered in the actions of domestic producers. Foreign products were probably imported at a rather low price. That is why imported… say, tomatoes were cheaper than Belarusian ones at some moment.
Belarusian vegetables’ price corresponded to the rules of price formation in our country. Who knows, maybe importers just dumped? Anyway, Belarusian producers did not violate the rules of price formation”.
Producers complained about low profitability and lack of sun. The director of a hotbed and greenhouse complex complained to ERB that a lot of money was being wasted on lighting onions in summer. According to him, there was no sun at all:
“We have a lot of expenses; we have to provide lighting for onions… How many sunny days have been observed this year? I think there was one out of 365”.
Let us remind you that the price for a kilo of onions reached 30 thousands in Minsk shops at the beginning of summer. The information differs from official data presented by the National Statistic Committee. The average price for green onions was about 4 thousands this year, informed the press secretary of the Belarusian Statistic Committee Alena Kandratsenka in an interview with ERB:
“The average price for green onions was 4 thousand 408 roubles in June across Belarus. It was 4775 roubles in July and 5 thousand 449 roubles in August”.
Onions in shops are available for practically the same price as they can be bought in markets now. An ERB listener bought green onions for 15750 a kilo. The price seemed too high to him… However, a supplier from the “Partyzan” unitary enterprise assured us that it was a normal market price:
“We do not form the price and we are not trying to increase it… We look at market prices and consider at what price we should buy them to sell them in shops at a price corresponding to market prices. For example, we bought onions for 3500 a kilo in July and we are buying them for 10500 now”.
It is not difficult to calculate that the extra charge was almost 50%. ERB will continue monitoring changes in the prices for Belarusian vegetables.
