MOGILEV, 21 March (BelTA) – The pricing in Belarus will be under tight control, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko said as he talked to Kronospan Company workers in Mogilev on 21 March, BelTA has learned.
Alexander Lukashenko emphasized that a just pricing policy is of crucial importance for the country, so the matter will be monitored very closely.
The head of state wondered why the price for sugar, according to the statistics, has increased by 20-25%. “How come? We have our own plants, we produce twice as much sugar as we consume. The only possible reason is that the price is high in the neighboring countries, in Russia and in Ukraine. In this case, there is nothing else that we can do. The prices should be approximately the same. If the price is too low, they will take all the sugar from the country. Still, I have heard that sugar in Belarus now costs more than in Russia,” the Belarusian leader said.
Alexander Lukashenko added that deflation is a dangerous process. “When prices drop, manufactured goods begin to pile up in warehouses, while sales and demand stagnate. This forces enterprises to stop paying salaries and to shut down,” he noted.
Another important issue that needs to be settled is the need to raise wages and employment. “Jobs at new enterprises are very important for us. These can be small enterprises employing 3, 5, 10, 15, 40, 50 people. It does not matter. Such enterprises will create jobs. Besides, I am absolutely not against if new manufactures are created at old production facilities. They will create jobs too. The main thing is that the working conditions should be normal,” Belarusian leader believes.