Skopje, 9 February 2023 (MIA) - Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski said measures that have been taken amid conditions of high inflation in Europe have reduced the final price of basic food products. In response to a reporter's question about whether there will be a freeze on product prices, Kovachevski said that such a measure was in place before the beginning of the crisis, followed by a measure to limit margins by 5 and 10 percent on certain products.

"There was price freeze at the beginning of the crisis. However, if you freeze a price below the price, below the total cost of production of a certain product, then shortage will immediately follow on the market. That's why after the freeze measure, we had the measure of limiting the margins. That's how we came to reduce the final price of basic food products at a time of high inflation across Europe," Kovachevski said during a visit to a company receiving state support. 

As regards prices on the market, he noted that the Market Inspection controls the margins. It is a specific calculation that market inspectors know, and exactly based on the input prices they have from producers, they calculate the margin that traders put, Kovachevski said.

Economy Minister Kreshnik Bekteshi noted that the State Market Inspectorate should exercise control over the decisions arising from the Law on Trade and the Law on Consumer Protection. 

State Market Inspectorate director Goran Trajkovski told a briefing earlier that the inspectorate conducts constant inspections of wholesalers and retailers for compliance with the margin limit, stressing that any deviation from the highest established margin of 5 and 10 percent is sanctioned. According to the decision on limiting the margin for basic food products, over 300 inspections were carried out in January and no deviations from the stipulated margin limits have been observed observed.

Reports received by the State Market Inspectorate, Trajkovski added, show that citizens are most concerned about increase in prices.