site.btaState Commodity Exchange Commission Chair: Consumer Basket Falls to EUR 57

The consumer basket fell by EUR 1 to EUR 57 this week, State Commission on Commodity Exchanges and Wholesale Markets Chair Vladimir Ivanov said at a briefing at the Council of Ministers on Monday.

Ivanov added that the basket was EUR 5 higher than a year earlier, with fruit and vegetable prices rising while basic food products fell.

On a year-on-year basis at the wholesale level, tomato prices rose by 31%, cucumbers by 54%, courgettes by 103%, lemons by 72%, apples by 29%, tangerines by 14%, bananas by 8%, and green peppers by 4%. Over the same period, prices for dry onions fell by 26%, carrots by 2%, cabbage by 28%, and potatoes by 17%, he said. Ivanov noted that this was a normal pattern, mainly driven by seasonal factors affecting fruit and vegetable supplies.

Compared with the same period last year, sugar fell by 4%, dried beans by 6%, and rice by 3%. Flour remained unchanged, Ivanov said.

Sunflower oil rose by 2%, and pork also increased by 2%, while kashkaval, white brined cheese, and chicken each rose by 6%.

Overall, Ivanov noted that prices for key food products remained stable.