MINSK, 18 March (BelTA) – Trade organizations have acceded to the recommendations on observing provisions of the national food security doctrine for the period till 2030, the press service of the Belarusian Antimonopoly Regulation and Trade Ministry told BelTA.
The recommendations have been amended taking into account proposals of interested parties and have been approved by the ministry's board. The Association of Retail Chains informed the Antimonopoly Regulation and Trade Ministry that its members had voluntarily acceded to the recommendations on observing provisions of the national food security doctrine. At present the association includes 14 legal persons that own various retail chains. Apart from that, all the retailers run by the Belarusian Republican Union of Consumer Societies and over 20 retailers from various populated localities have acceded to the recommendations.
The recommendations are available on the website of the Antimonopoly Regulation and Trade Ministry. The message reads: “The national food security is evaluated in nine groups of foods: grain, dairy products, meat, sugar, vegetable oil, potatoes, vegetables, fruits and berries, eggs, and fish. The main criteria of reaching the goals set by the doctrine include the reduction of the share of imported foods in domestic sales to 14% by 2030.”
In 2020 Belarusian retailers are encouraged to raise the share of Belarus-made foods in their retail turnover up to at least 85% (an optimistic scenario) or 80% (an unsatisfactory scenario). The Antimonopoly Regulation and Trade Ministry believes that Belarusian products should be placed in visible and accessible places. They should be marked with a special sign “Made in the Republic of Belarus” or by similar means. Retailers will have to follow this year's recommendations on setting maximum markups on Belarusian socially important products.
As they decide to raise prices, producers and suppliers are encouraged to limit the raises to the core inflation forecast level (4%). It is necessary to ensure a uniform approach to pricing products intended to be sold on the home market and in countries of the Eurasian Economic Union. Apart from that, the Antimonopoly Regulation and Trade Ministry recommends limiting the overall size of any kind of remuneration (premiums, bonuses, or other incentives) provided by producers or suppliers of Belarus-made socially important foods (except for white sugar) to retailers to at most 5% of the price for such foods.
