The President held a regular meeting dedicated to the issues of ensuring food security. The leading staff of the PMR Government, the Supreme Council, relevant ministries and parliamentary committees was invited to the discussion.
They talked about the emerging rise in prices and the emerging deficit in a number of items of consumer goods. Both aspects are related to the limitation of foreign trade processes. Export and import flows are frozen. The reasons are external. Pridnestrovie has no opportunity to influence the situation. To revive the movement of goods, new logistics routes are being laid. They are less profitable, that affects the cost of goods delivered to the republic. New suppliers offer sale conditions that significantly increase the price for the Pridnestrovian consumer. State regulation of pricing for imported goods is limited. The laws of the market have a greater influence in this area. The entrepreneur will not supply products if the selling price does not cover the cost. Working at a loss, he will lose working capital, endangering the enterprise as a whole. They are delivered to the republic at price corresponding to the costs to cover the need for certain goods. The decision to purchase is up to the consumer. It is important to give the buyer the right to choose. There should be an alternative - similar products of local production, Vadim Krasnoselsky emphasized during the meeting. Imports should not be the basis. Its role is an addition that allows the consumer to choose. The PMR President considers that this is what a self-sufficient state should strive for.
The meeting participants discussed during the discussion the state of affairs in specific areas, exchanged relevant information and voiced proposals. The President emphasized that it is extremely important in the current situation to act in a consolidated manner, being in constant contact.
Attention was paid in the course of the meeting not only to the momentary filling of retail chains with goods, but also to long-term plans for the development of the country's economy. They are adjusted in accordance with the prevailing conditions. An important role is assigned to the agro-industrial complex. Farmers will have to reformat their work, change their approaches. Many have already moved along the path of prioritizing the domestic market. Partnership within the country is of particular importance in the current circumstances. Moreover, more and more business entities are striving to create full-cycle production, minimizing dependence on suppliers.
Returning to the issue of pricing, the President recalled that the state has more levers to regulate it when it comes to domestic products. The state provides support to local producers of socially important goods (soft loans, subsidies, favorable tariffs for energy resources and water, development of the reclamation complex), while it has the ability to set a price limit, profitability, and markup. The use of these tools should be effective, Vadim Krasnoselsky emphasized.
For example, they said at the meeting that the price for milk set in Pridnestrovie is noticeably lower than its cost. If we compare the cost of dairy products in Pridnestrovie and neighboring countries, then the difference is from 36% to 105%. Vadim Krasnoselsky noted in this regard that it is necessary to take all possible measures to maintain prices for socially significant food products. It is advisable to revise the list at the same time. Even if we talk about dairy products, not all milk derivatives are essential products. Therefore, the pricing policy should be different. This will make it possible to maintain the availability of basic foodstuffs for population and will save producers from unbearable burdens and losses at the same time.
The state order remains an important topic. They returned to this issue today and talked about items that should be included in the list of agricultural products that the state will order from local farmers on a permanent basis. It is mainly about the contents of the vegetable basket. Local land users are able to fill it without the participation of importers, the President is sure.
Vadim Krasnoselsky recalled that the issue of the country's self-sufficiency is not ripe today. This topic has been on the agenda for several years now. Self-sufficiency is a strategic task. There is a diverse set of measures of state support for the agro-industrial complex. Interest in domestic products is growing due to the implementation of the “Buy Pridnestrovian!” project. The development of domestic production is bearing fruit. Thanks to the timely adoption of effective measures and prompt response to new challenges, the republic successfully copes with various kinds of crisis situations of external origin.
