After eggs became a subject of Vladimir Putin’s annual teleconference, the population of Russia is preparing to face a new increase in food prices, IPN reports with reference to regional Russian media, which writes that large retail chains received notifications from producers and suppliers about the rise in delivery prices of a wide assortment of goods from the very start of next year.

Stores got letters warning that prices of dairy products, juices, carbonated water, rice, coffee, confectionery, cakes, breakfast cereals and other goods will increase from the beginning of the new year. Price increases are expected to range from 5 to 22 percent.

In these conditions, the increase in rice prices, for example, was explained by the influence of external factors: due to this year’s bad harvest, the halt in India’s and Thailand’s rice exports, while consumption in the Russian Federation is only up to 50 percent covered by its own production. Prices will be affected by the exchange rate, which will influence the cost of imported raw materials and equipment. Higher prices of goods on shelves will be justified by the more than a third rise in logistics and transport costs. Consequently, the costs of fuel, spare parts for foreign cars, vehicle fleet renovation and warehouse rent are taken into account. The cost price of production is also affected by an 11% increase in packaging prices.

Concurrently, the public is assured that “the situation is under the special control” of the responsible authorities in Russia.

Recently, Russia imposed new restrictions on the import of Moldovan agri-food products into this country.