Inflation in Montenegro is growing rapidly and in the last year it amounted to almost four percent, according to Monstat data.
While the Government has kept inflation under control to some extent through the "Limited Prices" campaign, recent months have seen a significant increase in the prices of various services and, to some extent, food and beverages.
And while many citizens say that fruit has become a luxury - analysts say - it would be good to stop there.
If only quality determined prices, we could say that the Podgorica market sells the fruit of paradise.
A kilogram of peaches and apricots costs up to six euros, and cherries up to 12.
A kilogram of grapes costs ten euros, while pears cost four euros. Strawberries start at five euros and up.
Fruit, which is a luxury for many, is only a reflection of the increase in prices in Montenegro, which in May this year compared to the same month last year, were on average almost four percent higher, according to Monstat data.
Economic analysts claim that at this moment, due to increased demand during the tourist season, traders in markets and markets are simply trying to make a profit.
"What we all fear is that autumn will bring us the so-called price spiral and therefore that inflation in Montenegro will be significantly higher than the inflation we are used to in 2024, as experts from the EU and Eurostat are warning about," said Jovo Rabrenović, an economic analyst.
The acceleration of inflation is mostly influenced by the increase in the prices of health services and medicines, as well as prices in restaurants and cafes, and in tourism in general. Rent prices have also risen significantly over the year, water has become more expensive in some cities, as have alcohol and tobacco. Food and beverages, although at the bottom of the scale, have increased in price by a significant four percent.
"What is currently being balanced are some energy sources, primarily electricity, which are stable, but it is quite certain that a price increase in that area can be expected," said Rabrenović.
Over the past two years, the price of coffee, whose production faces numerous challenges - from climate change to speculative investments on the stock market, has also risen significantly. Lovers of the beverage with which many start the day, a cup of coffee, are also paying more, some 30 percent compared to last year.
So for your favorite Dutch coffee, instead of one euro and forty, you will pay from one euro and sixty to two euros.
In the past 12 months, the only thing that has become cheaper is fuel, by almost ten percent.
The government has been implementing the "Limited Prices" campaign for several months, and Television Vijesti has not received a response from the Ministry of Economic Development regarding its effects now and how to deal with rising inflation.
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