The Competition Council has been notified on the price hikes for foodstuff, mainly of eggs, meat and dairy products, as the analyses conducted by the Agriculture Ministry have not found the reasons for such developments and the institution does not have the means and the legal provisions to intervene on the market, Agriculture Minister Petre Daea said on Friday.
“We have notified the Competition Council to analyse the situation on the market, regarding the price hikes for eggs, milk, dairy products – mainly butter, as our analyses did not reveal the reasons for such developments. We ask the council to look into the issue, if there are elements involving understandings between the traders,” Petre Daea said.
The minister said he checked the stores and markets in Bucharest and there are things that cannot be understood, as there are no production costs increases, and yet the prices have doubled in some cases.
“For example, the production costs have dropped for pork, whereas the sale price is going up. Eggs leave the producers at RON 0.36 and are sold in stores at RON 1. The situation for butter is similar. These are anomalies and are hard to understand,” the minister said.
And yet, analysts say the price increases for energy and fuel, as well as the national currency depreciation, have led to higher costs for producers and transporters and, subsequently, to higher prices in the stores. However, the increases do not explain the doubled prices.