Representatives of trade and food producers announced that they bear the greatest costs, challenges and risks in order to maintain a stable supply of the market, but also to understand citizens who would like to have more affordable prices in unprofitable retail chains.
"We understand citizens who would like to have more affordable prices in unprofitable retail chains, just as we also understand the job of the media to investigate and report in the public interest," representatives of trade and food producers announced on Monday at a meeting with the president of the Chamber of Commerce (PKCG) Nina Drakić .
However, as they stated, the greatest costs, challenges and risks are borne by them, as trade chains and food producers, in order to maintain a stable market supply of all necessary products, especially during the summer tourist season.
As announced by the PKCG, they reminded that they are trying to be ready for any kind of crisis circumstances, such as have occurred and continue in the last three years.
At the meeting, it was stated that the greatest public interest is, nevertheless, a stable market supply, which, for the trade chains themselves in a small country such as Montenegro, has become very challenging and expensive.
"The reasons for high prices are numerous, and the primary one is that Montenegro still does not have sufficient production of its food and numerous other consumer products, and as such, it is import-oriented," the announcement states.
The second major reason is the fact of a small market, for which the same import conditions as for large countries do not apply, which have large own production and large trades, so imported products are offered to them under incomparably better conditions.
When you add to that the disruptions in the market, caused by the pandemic, which are still being felt, and then the war in Ukraine, Europe's largest grain producer, and global inflation, it can be understood that prices are not dictated only by trade chains, but also by business conditions and the circumstances in which we are located.
"Despite the fact that through our trade chains we strive to encourage and strengthen domestic production, we are faced with politicized and criticizing statements, which do great damage by creating the impression that we do not need domestic production and trade at all," it was announced at the meeting.
It was also established that the statements of officials and analysts about prices in trade chains, which are reported in the media, tend to be torn from the economic context, without sufficient arguments and knowledge of the real market.
"Such statements mislead citizens and create tensions towards trade chains, which have employed thousands of our citizens, provided high purchasing standards, affirmed and launched numerous domestic initiatives and actions, and most importantly, despite numerous challenges, they strive for citizens, but both tourists and the entire economy have a choice and a sufficient quantity of all products", it was announced at the meeting.
The businessmen called for the formation of a new government as soon as possible, in order to find a solution to the current economic challenges in a partnership dialogue between the state and the economy.
They also called for the efficient work of the parliament, when debating and adopting better legal solutions, which will encourage the economy and social development, with the application of the highest standards and European practice, so that citizens have a better perspective and personal standard.
At the end of the meeting of representatives of trade and food producers, it was concluded that, in order to protect the economy and provide adequate information to the public, PKCG will in the coming period, once a week, publish a survey of retail prices of the same products in retail chains here and in the surrounding area.
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