MINSK, 24 February (BelTA) – On 23 February the Council of Ministers adopted Resolution No. 100 “On temporary measures to stabilize prices for staple goods”. The document was published on the National Legal Internet Portal on 24 February, BelTA informs.
The list of staple goods features 62 items, including rice, flour, semolina, buckwheat, oatmeal, barley, bread, beef, pork, chicken, some types of sausages, fish, milk, kefir, sour cream, cottage cheese, some fruits and vegetables, sugar, soap, toilet paper, diapers, matches. The list of medicines contains 50 items.
Legal entities of all forms of ownership and individual entrepreneurs who produce, import, and sell staple goods on the domestic market should keep the prices the way they were on 24 February for the period until 28 February.
Starting from 1 March, prices for staple goods cannot rise by more than 0.2% per month as against the last day of the previous month. If a product was not sold before, the price should be benchmarked against the price of a similar product.
Price rises above the established limit are allowed only with the concent of the Commission on State Regulation of Pricing under the Council of Ministers.
The Agriculture and Food Ministry, the Healthcare Ministry, the Belarusian state food industry concern Belgospishcheprom, other central government bodies and organizations subordinate to the government, regional executive committees and the Minsk City Hall were instructed to take measures to implement the decree and make sure that retail outlets and pharmacies get all the necessary products the domestic market needs.
It is also necessary to analyze and monitor product costing along the entire chain, to issue local legal acts to stabilize prices and to establish a clear-cut system for monitoring and evaluating the work of personnel.
The Ministry of Antimonopoly Regulation and Trade (MART) and the Healthcare Ministry will adjust, if necessary, the assortment lists of goods and medicines that must be available to customers.
The resolution seeks to stabilize prices for staple goods. Another goal is to make sure these products are in good supply on the consumer market. The document came into force after its official publication.
