The "Limited Prices" campaign officially expired on the first day of May, so milk, which was included in the state measure to limit margins, is now 30 cents more expensive in a large Podgorica supermarket - or 1,45 instead of 1,15 euros. This means that the price of milk is currently 20 percent, or a fifth, higher than it was in April.
A similar price increase occurred when it comes to yogurt, which is 15 cents more expensive than a month ago, which shows that the prices of these items have returned to levels from the period when there were no government actions in force. The prices of other products that were part of these measures, namely toilet paper and detergent, did not change, while bananas are even ten cents cheaper than in April.
As of April 30, none of the previous reliefs for citizens, i.e. neither "limited prices" nor margin limits for basic foodstuffs, are officially applied in Montenegro.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economic Development Nick Djelosaj He announced that the Government will soon prepare new incentives to preserve citizens' standards.
Buying all 15 items in a large supermarket whose prices are monitored by "Vijesti" is 60 cents cheaper today than in April, so you need to set aside 45,5 instead of 46,1 euros for this basket. Buying in a small supermarket is 1,3 euros cheaper than a month ago and costs 32,9 euros compared to the previous 32,4 euros, while shopping at the market is currently 70 cents cheaper, so you need to pay 6,7 euros instead of XNUMX euros for fruit and vegetables.
These are some of the results shown by the monthly price barometer "Vijesti", which monitored the price movements of 15 products in Podgorica's small, large supermarkets and the market. The reporter went to these facilities once a month since September 2023, in the middle of the month, to list prices, monitor their movements and possible price increases or decreases. These are different foods, from the same manufacturer, of identical type and weight in order to give a true picture of monthly changes.
According to Monstat data, prices in April were 0,8 percent higher than in March. The monthly inflation rate was most affected by the increase in prices of fruit and vegetables, clothing, pharmaceutical products, rent, meat, restaurants and shoes. Compared to the same month last year, prices in April were 3,4 percent higher.
Lower prices of cucumbers and tomatoes
In a large supermarket in Podgorica, a liter of milk costs the same today as it did in May last year, while yogurt is ten cents more expensive than then. Some of the products still carry the "limited price" label even though the sale has expired, so toilet paper costs the same as it did a month ago, i.e. 2,5 euros. The price of dishwashing detergent is the same as in April, although this item is no longer included in the sale. A kilogram of bananas now costs one and a half euros, while during the limited margins they had to be paid 1,6 euros.
In the last month, the price of veal has also increased, with a kilogram now costing 50 cents more, or 14 euros. In addition, chocolate costs 20 cents more, or 1,4 instead of 1,2 euros, while apples have also gone up in price by ten cents.
On the other hand, in the last month, a kilogram of tomatoes has become 85 cents cheaper, while cucumbers are 70 cents cheaper. So now tomatoes cost 1,75 euros and cucumbers 1,3 euros. Toothpaste is also cheaper, by 20 cents, while other prices have not changed.
Compared to May prices last year, buying 15 groceries today is 2,4 euros cheaper than back then, when it cost 47,9 euros. The same items now cost 45,5 euros, while the biggest difference compared to then is in the price of veal, chicken, tomatoes...
In small shops, the biggest price increase in the last month was recorded for bananas, which cost 30 cents more than in April. Now they cost 1,7 euros instead of 1,4 euros at the time, and yogurt, toothpaste, and pressed ham are also slightly more expensive...
Cucumbers are cheaper per euro, with one euro now costing one kilogram instead of two, while tomatoes are also 90 cents cheaper, with 1,8 euros, compared to 2,7 euros in April. The prices of other groceries have not changed. Buying items in a small supermarket is cheaper today than in the same month last year, but also compared to April. Of the months compared, April is the most expensive, as a basket cost 34,2 euros, while it now costs 32,9 euros. In the fifth month of last year, these products cost 33,7 euros.
As of April 30, none of the previous reliefs for citizens, i.e. neither "limited prices" nor margin limits for basic foodstuffs, are officially applied in Montenegro.
Fruit and vegetables at the market now cost 1,6 euros more than a month ago than in May last year. Back then, bananas, apples, tomatoes and cucumbers cost a total of 4,4 euros per kilogram, while now they cost six euros. These fruits and vegetables cost 6,7 euros in April.
“Limited prices” were launched on September 6 last year and were planned to last until the end of January, but the Government extended their duration until April 30. Through this action, margins were limited for 67 food and hygiene products in wholesale and retail stores. Thus, margins for the food sector in wholesale and retail stores were limited to 10 percent, while for hygiene products they were limited to a maximum of 10 percent in wholesale and 15 percent in retail.
A measure was also in force to limit margins on five basic foodstuffs, namely sunflower oil, granulated sugar, flour types 400 and 500, and table salt. By a new government decision from the end of November, one-liter cow's milk in a bag was removed from the food group and included among these five, so that the list consisted of six foodstuffs. The maximum margin on these products in wholesale trade was five percent, while in retail stores it was limited to seven percent.
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