FPB: the price of a set of consumer basket products fell in November

December 2, MINSK. In Belarus, the cost of a set of consumer basket products decreased in November. This is evidenced by the data of trade union monitoring of prices, held at the end of November in all regions of the country.

Thus, for a month the price of a set of food products used in recent years to calculate the consumer basket for a family of four amounted to Br730.3. This is 1.07% less than in October this year.

“Of course, this is an average indicator, which is formed based on the dynamics of prices for each food product of constant demand. At the same time, speaking in the context of individual goods, a more serious decrease in cost was noted for some positions. So, for the month (November to October) buckwheat fell in price by 11%, oatmeal - by 8%, millet - by 5.5%, the cost of FLOUR also decreased - by more than 5%, vegetable oil - by 3.6%. Compared to the same period last year, these products fell in price very significantly: cabbage - by 49%, potatoes - by 34%, carrots - by 31%, beets - 36%.At the same time, in November, compared to October, some goods became more expensive. First of all, these are imported vegetables - sweet peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers.Here the main role is played by the seasonal factor," explained Elena Mankevich, Deputy Chairman of the Federation of Trade Unions.

Some growth in consumer prices was also noted for pork (on the bone), cheese, chicken eggs, cottage cheese and chicken. The cost of a number of other goods (fish, bread, butter, MILK , kefir, sausages) remained virtually unchanged on average.

it is necessary to note a certain difference in the cost of products in the regional context. Thus, if the national average price of a set of food required for a family of four was Br730.3, then in Minsk it is traditionally higher - Br758.19. The lowest cost in the Gomel region is Br708.5. At the same time, in the Vitebsk region, the price of this set of products is almost equal to the cost in Minsk, although in the Vitebsk region the average salary is much lower," the Federation of Trade Unions noted.

With regard to the availability of goods on the market, this issue was also analyzed by trade union specialists. For products, in most cases, the assortment list is maintained. Although a decrease in the assortment was noted in some trade facilities of the Minsk Regional Consumer Society, buckwheat, margarine, and confectionery products were periodically out of stock. As a rule, these particular cases were associated with untimely payments for deliveries.

More significant issues with the availability of goods were recorded in relation to the non-food group. Including we are talking about cosmetics, personal care products and household chemicals. The range of some imported cosmetics was reduced to 1-2 positions, and the price increased significantly. For example, in one of the popular retail chains during the monitoring, there was only one type of hairspray on the shelves, while its cost was about Br20. In many ways, the situation is explained by the fact that some large foreign corporations have reduced supplies to RUSSIA and Belarus, and today the logistics of delivering goods from this group to Belarus has become much more complicated.

As Elena Mankevich said, the trade unions separately analyzed the issue of the cost and availability of medicines in more than 4,000 pharmacies. These are 50 items, including imported drugs that are in demand among consumers. Monitoring showed that, as before, the cost of the same drug in different pharmacies may vary. But at the same time, not a single case was recorded that the maximum price of the medicine became higher than last month. At the same time, there was a decrease in the availability of 40 types of imported and domestic drugs in pharmacies.