In Crimea, eggs went up in price in February and borscht set became more expensive

In February, prices in Crimea rose less than in the country as a whole — by 0.7% compared to January. Food prices have risen noticeably in the republic,” the expert noted.

Egg prices have increased the most. Last month, their supply on the regional market decreased due to a decrease in production throughout the country. In addition, poultry farms’ costs for feed and veterinary preparations for poultry have increased, which were transferred to selling prices, the expert noted.

Prices for greenhouse tomatoes, cucumbers, sweet peppers and herbs continued to rise. This is mainly due to increased costs for producers on lighting and heating of greenhouses. Companies also raised wages to retain and attract new employees. This also led to an increase in selling prices in February– added Elena Denisenko.

According to her information, the vegetables of the borscht set — cabbage, carrots, onions, potatoes and beets — have also become more expensive. This is due to a seasonal reduction in stocks of last year’s harvest and increased storage costs. At the same time, over 12 months in general, fruit and vegetable products fell in price by almost 6%.

By the way, non-food goods and services have become less expensive. In February, smartphones and television and radio products became more expensive in the region. This is due to an increase in the VAT rate and an increase in the costs of manufacturers and suppliers on logistics, which they reflected in selling prices, said the Republican Branch of the Bank of Russia.

Due to the increase in demand for health improvement, the cost of vouchers to Crimean sanatoriums has increased. They took into account the increased costs of maintaining infrastructure and staff salaries in their prices.

At the same time, a number of goods and services fell in price in February. For food, these are meat products. This is largely due to the increase in pork production in the country. For the third month in a row, knitwear and clothing have become cheaper. Thanks to the strengthening of the ruble, companies’ costs for imported goods and raw materials for production have decreased, the specialist emphasized.

In general, annual inflation in Crimea in February expectedly slowed down and amounted to 7.2%. Let me explain why it was expected: the increase in VAT, excise taxes, regulated tariffs and fees has, for the most part, already affected January prices, although a small effect was still observed in February. In addition, price growth was restrained by the expansion of the supply of certain goods on the Crimean market and the strengthening of the ruble,” Elena Denisenko clarified.

Overall, the region’s economy is growing more balanced. Demand is becoming more subdued, enterprises are less likely to experience staff shortages, and lending growth has slowed. All this suggests that the key rate is working effectively.

On March 20, the Bank of Russia reduced the key rate to 15% per annum. According to the regulator’s forecast, inflation in 2026 will drop to 4.5–5.5%, in 2027 it will reach 4% and will stabilize at the target in the future,” recalled the expert from the Republican Branch of the Bank of Russia.

Earlier it was reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin, at a meeting with the government on March 23, said that inflation in the country had settled below 6% in annual terms.

source: RIA Novosti Crimea