While citizens find it increasingly difficult to cope with basic living expenses month after month, the Government and the relevant ministry remain silent.
What happened to the promised measures to combat inflation? Where is the continuation of the "price cap" campaign? And how can one survive on average incomes when basic groceries are more expensive than in European Union (EU) countries?
The Vijesti Television team checked what price increases look like in the everyday lives of Podgorica residents, what the official inflation rates are, and which products have become the most expensive.
Prices are skyrocketing, and the government is silent. There is not a word about what happened with the announcement of continuing to preserve citizens' standards, after the "limited price" campaign, which was extended several times and included over a thousand items.
The Government did not respond to TV Vijesti's questions about the promised extension of the inflation suppression, which ended on April 30th, and whose continuation, Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Policy and Minister of Economic Development Nik Đeljošaj, announced for May 15th.
Television Vijesti also checked how the people of Podgorica are reacting to the latest inflation.
According to Monstat, prices in June were up by an average of 0,4 percent compared to May, and by 4,2 percent compared to the same month last year.
The monthly inflation rate was mostly influenced by higher fruit prices. Accommodation services, bread and cereals, milk, cheese and eggs, as well as meat increased in price. Air travel and fuel are more expensive. Consumer prices from January to June, compared to the same period last year, are 3,3 percent higher.
Market vendors say that this is a seasonal price increase and that the products are mainly sold on the Montenegrin coast.
Producers, however, claim that prices on the domestic market are dependent on imports.
They accuse wholesalers of bypassing domestic production in order to keep prices high even after the season.
"In order not to disrupt ourselves, we are unable to sell our goods nor for citizens to consume them. It is incredible that everything has been imported in the last month. All duplicates of goods, the ones we have in abundance. Imagine that watermelon is still imported today. The import lobby, the retail chains, have decided to completely destroy the production we have this year, without citizens being able to get to that cheap product," said farmer Željko Milić.
And the Ministry boasts that their focus this year is on reducing imports and improving domestic production. Until that focus is sharpened, instead of domestic food, we will have more expensive imported offerings.
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