Romania imports expensive fruits, vegetables
Romania is importing more expensive fruits and vegetables than indigenous ones, as Romanian producers do not have the necessary equipment to be able to deliver the required quantity [/quality] on the market, Dragos Vasile, advisor to the Competition Council, said during a press conference.
"One of the major issues concerning member states refers to prices. One may find that, on the one hand, prices for consumers are high, and on the other hand, prices are low for farmers. It is a matter of grounded concern," Vasile said.
According to him, the Competition Council has analysed the market and concluded that prices in Romania are lower than the European average.
"An interesting issue is the one related to the pressure of imported foodstuffs. It has been found here that there are categories where there is no import pressure, for example, milk, meat, wine, bread, cold cuts, but there is also a category of products where the supply comes mostly from import, such as vegetables and fruits, at prices higher than they would be in the case of Romanian products," Vasile said.
"What are the explanations? Some retailers' surveys show that Romanian producers still lack the capacity to meet some commercial standards - sorting, calibration, storage capacity - all of which can be corrected over time by increasing the ability to comply with certain technical standards," the representative of the competition authority said.
Vasile mentioned that since 2016 Romanian consumers have at their disposal the price monitor platform, managed by the Competition Council, where they can monitor the prices of 64 food categories and 128 products, with the data being obtained weekly from six retailers.
"We want to help the consumer make informed decisions and we count on a certain pressure on stores, which can lead to a price cuts," the Competition Council's official added.
Source: Agerpres, June 2018
