The prices of flour and oil in Montenegrin markets have increased by 10 to 20 percent in the last ten days, while in some the prices of salt and sugar have increased by about ten percent each, or they have announcements of increases for these items from their suppliers, "Vijesti" learns. ".
The reason for the price increase in all markets, as reported by the trading companies, is that the producers and suppliers of these foods, which are not produced in Montenegro or not in significant quantities, have increased their prices, partly due to the increase in the price of fuel, i.e. transport .
However, despite the increase in oil derivatives prices, a liter of the cheapest cooking oil is now more expensive than a liter of Eurodiesel.
"Vijesti" sent questions about these price increases to all major retail chains "Volija", "HD Laković", "Aroma", "Merkator", "Mega Market", as well as important domestic suppliers such as "Stadion", but they received a concrete answer only that of "Mega Market" and "Merkator", even though the other traders also increased their prices.
"In our trade chain, the price of flour has gone up by 10 percent, and the price of oil by 20 percent, which is due to a price change by the supplier. An example of an increase is the price of oil, which rose from one to 1,20 euros per liter, while the price of flour per kilogram increased from 40 to 45 cents. At the moment, we have certain stocks of these items, so the prices will not increase further in the near future", said the executive director of "Mega prometa", Balša Mitrović.
He states that when it comes to salt and sugar, there has been no change in those items in their megamarkets and they do not expect an increase in the prices of those items in the near future, which, as he said, they have in larger quantities in stock.
The company "Merkator" stated that despite the challenges brought by the epidemic, they are trying to provide consumers with equally affordable prices, but they did not state by how much their prices were increased.
The reason for the price increase in all markets, as reported by trading companies, is that the producers and suppliers of these foods, which are not produced in Montenegro or not in significant quantities, have increased their prices, and partly due to the increase in the price of fuel, i.e. transport
"If there have been changes in certain prices, it is solely the result of an increase in purchase prices by the supplier, that is, the manufacturer. From a broader perspective, the mentioned changes in purchase prices are caused by the global increase in the stock exchange prices of the articles and raw materials themselves, but also by the increase in the prices of transportation and energy sources", they announced from "Mercator".
An interlocutor of "Vijesti" from the commercial department of a retail chain, who did not want his name to be mentioned, said that the price of basic foodstuffs has increased in all markets.
"Our suppliers and manufacturers have increased their prices while some have announced increases to us. The reasons may be the increase in fuel prices, which last year, due to the pandemic and lower consumption, were at a record low level. At the end of last year, global consumption increased, which caused the price of petroleum products to rise. Last year, we had a significant drop in the consumption of basic foodstuffs due to less tourist traffic, so everyone kept prices lower. Now that consumption is recovering globally, so both manufacturers and wholesalers are trying to compensate for earlier losses with growth. There are also announcements of an increase in meat and meat products due to the increase in the price of animal feed and due to the fact that livestock diseases in some countries have reduced production, this mostly applies to pork", said the interlocutor to "Vijesti".
He also says that an increase in the price of basic foods usually subsequently leads to an increase in the price of other foods that contain basic foods such as bread, pastries, processed foods, confectionery...
Statistics Directorate Monstat processed the prices in retail trade chains for February, according to which food prices increased by 0,7 percent compared to January and by 1,5 percent compared to February last year.
In February, compared to January, the prices of fruits increased by 3,6 percent, vegetables by 3,5 percent, oils and fats by 1,7 percent, bread and cereals as well as milk and cheese by 0,4 percent each.
Compared to the same month last year, the prices of oils and fats increased by 6,7 percent, vegetables by 3,9, fruits by 3,5, milk, cheese and eggs by 1,1 percent, bread and cereals by 0,8 and meat by 0,6 percent.
Prices for March should be announced in mid-April.
In Montenegro, prices can be set freely, even for basic foodstuffs, so the government does not have a great opportunity to influence the market.
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