Skopje, 17 September 2025 (MIA) - Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski told journalists Wednesday that procedures are underway for some traders due to the situation with food prices, saying he is convinced "the deviant behavior by supermarket chains will be reduced to a minimum".

Asked about the agriculture prices index in August 2025, Mickoski said input expenses for producing agricultural products have grown by over two percent, while the prices at which farmers sell their products has grown by over 12-13 percent.

“Through the State Market Inspectorate and the Commission for the Protection of Competition we are conducting inspections daily, we are monitoring the movements, and I am convinced that this type of deviant behavior by the supermarket chains will be reduced to a minimum in the coming period,” Mickoski said.

Responding to claims by farmers that middlemen and traders are making large profits and that the final price for the citizens is very high, Mickoski said that the prices at which farmers sell their products are historically the highest, but that traders are adding illogical markups.

"Not few, but a little bit more than a few traders are adding illogical markups. The prices at which farmers sell their products are historically the highest. Right now it's the pepper used for ajvar, but if we look back it’s also tomatoes, cucumbers, cabbage, onions, tobacco, and all other products, now grapes, you’ll see that prices are at historic highs. This is also indicated by the nearly doubled food exports compared to last year, especially agricultural products. We are monitoring the behavior of traders, and as far as I’m informed, certain procedures and actions have already been initiated against some of them before the institutions. They are already being processed, they just need to reach their conclusion," Mickoski said.

The Prime Minister also spoke about the situation in the country’s industry sector, noting that foreign trade within the sector has increased even more than domestic industrial trade.

"The State Statistical Office announced yesterday that industrial trade increased by 13–14 percent in July compared to the same month last year, and this has been a trend throughout the year. However, what stands out to me is that industrial trade in terms of foreign exchange has increased even more than domestic industrial trade. I'm talking about more than 15 percent, and this is a unique result in Europe where we see such a strong rise in industrial trade," Mickoski said.

Mickoski said this is a good indicator because July is the first month of Q3 and he expects the country’s GDP to continue to grow after registering 3.2 percent and 3.4 percent growth in Q1 and Q2 respectively. 

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