Business news

MINSK, 2 August (BelTA) – We need to prevent seasonal price fluctuations for fruit and vegetables in Minsk, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko said during the nationwide teleconference held on 2 August to discuss the 2017 harvest campaign, BelTA has learned.

“Contracts should be signed to build up fruit and vegetable stocks for winter for the two-million-strong Minsk and its visitors. You will buy as much produce as you need to prevent seasonal price fluctuations,” Alexander Lukashenko stressed as he addressed Minsk Mayor Andrei Shorets.

The Belarusian head of state emphasized that Belarus will have a good harvest this year which needs to be gathered and stocked in a quick manner. All the warehouses in the capital and Minsk Oblast should be used to store the harvest.

Andrei Shorets said that the work to stock up on fruit and vegetables proceeds on schedule. The cold storage facilities have already created stocks of beef, pork, and animal oil. Plans have been made to stock the warehouses with 15,000 tonnes of potatoes, 17,500 tonnes of vegetables, and 4,000 tonnes of fruit. “This will be enough to meet the capital’s needs,” the mayor noted.

As for the prices, Andrei Shorets said that the situation is manageable. “We are monitoring the prices in the retail networks and at marketplaces on a daily basis. There are some 1,000 vending spots at the markets that pensioners can use to sell their self-grown produce. Some 400 people use this opportunity every day. We have allocated special spots for Belkoopsoyuz at Komarovsky Market, and 24 venues across the city for seasonal fairs. The weekly fairs will offer a wide range of products,” Andrei Shorets pointed out.