Rustem Khamitov: "I go to the store and I monitor prices by myself"

UFA, 20 February 2015. /Bashinform News Agency, Elmira Sabirova/. The Head of Bashkortostan Rustem Khamitov at a meeting in the Government of the Republic noted that the increase in food prices, including sugar, in most cases, was unfounded.

The Minister of Economic Development of Bashkortostan Alexander Vasilyev said that the monitoring of basic food products prices showed the greatest rise in vegetables and fruit. The cost of a kilogram of cabbage for a month increased by 18.8 percent, onion - by 22.4 percent. According to him, these two positions showed seasonal growth of prices, and some products are imported from abroad. Also fish went up by 15 percent, sugar by 7.3 percent. The Minister explained rise in sugar prices by the fact that almost all equipment of Russian sugar factories was produced abroad and purchased on credit. The companies are no longer able to service these loans at the same price.

“I believe that increase in sugar prices is unjustified”, the Head of the Republic did not agree with the conclusions of the Minister. “Yields are good, factories have been built long ago, and this equipment has nothing to do with foreign currency loans.”

Rustem Khamitov said that the Ministry of Economic Development should not only register the state of affairs, but also make efforts to avoid price increase.