Vegetable Market Owner: We Can't Have Cheap Prices When There's No Cheap Production

Unjustified price increases for a range of goods and services have been identified during joint inspections by the Consumer Protection Commission (CPC) and the National Revenue Agency (NRA). This became clear during a joint briefing where it was reported that both basic food products and fuels are under surveillance.

The data so far shows cases of unjustified price increases for 561 products. The most common violations have been found in seasonal fruits and vegetables, coffee, chocolate, and dairy products.

Meanwhile, in its weekly analysis, the State Commission on Commodity Exchanges and Markets reports a sustained trend of price increases for a number of basic foods. These include green salad, tomatoes, green and red peppers, apples, and bananas.

The trend is already noticeable to consumers.

"The increase is beyond comment. It's impossible for red and green peppers to cost 16 euros," a citizen commented to BNR.

Another consumer shared their impressions from the market: "Yesterday I was at the Women's Market and I was struck by the fact that cabbage is 2-3 euros."

Representatives of the retail network, for their part, explain the price differences with market logic and the costs of production and delivery.

"The market has its own logic and the price of products is the result of all interconnected factors. When you buy potatoes for 5 euros, at what price can you sell them? They are greenhouse, fresh. These are fresh potatoes that you planted two months ago. You heat this greenhouse - is energy cheap in Bulgaria? No, it isn't! All of this goes into the price - it's a chain reaction. Moisture, energy, transportation, and resources. If we don't have cheap production, what prices can we have? We are 90% imports," commented the owner of a neighborhood vegetable market.

Source: Plovdiv24