As the Christmas holidays approach, households are calculating whether there will be an increase in the price of the consumer basket and by how much. Regarding the movement of prices of basic products and whether we can expect surprises during the holiday period, "Focus" sought a comment from the Chairman of the State Commission on Commodity Exchanges and Markets Vladimir Ivanov.
"Currently, we have a persistent trend towards price increases. It is weak. The index has changed in about a month from 2.01 to 2.177. It is approaching its peak point in January 2023. We are now in a peak period in which prices are constantly rising, fortunately, by a small percentage," said Vladimir Ivanov.
"If last year we paid 97 leva for basic food products, now it will be 99 leva. This is about 2% and a little", he explained.
The following trends have been observed in the prices of basic food products over the past year:
Sugar has become cheaper by 18%, oil has become more expensive by 15%, beans and rice have become more expensive by between 7 and 8%, eggs are 11% below the levels. There are no changes in yellow cheese and cheese, but butter and yogurt are 10% above the levels. For pork and chicken, prices remain the same as last year.
The prices of fruits and vegetables are also changing - citrus fruits have become cheaper, including apples. The prices of tomatoes are rising steadily - in the last two weeks alone by more than 80 cents., however, the leader among vegetables is cabbage, where the price increase is 46% above last year's levels. Carrots increased by 13%, while the price of onions fell by 16%.
"Many of the variations are due to purely climatic features, to the type of supply. We have a market situation that is not characterized by any dramatic situation, we do not have any sudden changes. We should not expect miracles in terms of price changes at Christmas", Vladimir Ivanov is categorical.
He explained that the movement of food prices is within normal limits, without significant anomalies.
"We do not have any processes that create tension or cause concern. We currently have a good market ratio in terms of demand and supply", he pointed out.
Vladimir Ivanov called on all consumers to be calm, shop informed and be careful about unfair trade practices. According to him, there is no reason to do shopping for the Christmas and New Year's table long before the holidays themselves.