Leanid Zaika: Now we have fantastic prices

In the nearest future prices in Belarus are to go up by 30%.

Such a statement has been made by the head of the analytical centre “Strategy”, Leanid Zaika, in an interview to “Salidarnasts”.

- We live in the Customs Union, - he says. – And now, if it is really workable, a great wave of cheap Russian goods should arrive to us, and they should be twice as cheap, the goods starting from pasta and to meat and milk which had been sold by us to them earlier.

However, according to observations of the interlocutor, the opposite is happening in reality.

- For today, the oil prices are dropping, “in a mysterious and inexplicable way,” while petrol prices in Belarus have grown by 5%, - Leanid Zaika noted. – If a Belarusian takes a petrol tin and goes to Smolensk, and buys 20 litres of petrol, it is to cost about 10$. And it will cost 20$ in Belarus. we have fantastic prices here now. They do not correspond to the status of the country, where a free movement of cheap goods and services (from Russia in particular) should take place.

The expert reminded that prices for imported food products have grown as well.

- It could not have happened in any other way, in spite of the fact that retail chains had been wagged finger at, and warned against raising prices, - he said.

Leanid Zaika forecasts that the prices will continue to grow.

- Prices in Belarus are firmly pegged to the exchange rate of the Belarusian ruble, which had dropped by more than 30% over the few weeks. Within the first month they have grown by 5-7%. And they can grow by as much as 30% over the first quarter, - he said.

Not only food products in shops, but utilities bills have grown up, electricity prices have grown up.

- The irony of it is that the price of electricity is formed proceeding from pipeline rates and oil prices. As of today, in connection with petrol prices landslide, public utilities bills should go down in Belarus, by at least one third, if not twice, - the expert noted. – One of my colleagues, a professor, complains that one thousand dollars (his salary plus pension) is not enough for living for him. An average Belarusian salary has dropped to $400, and it continues to drop, to the level of about $350. Pensions have decreased from $250 to 170.

It’s just a beginning. We should get ready for economizing, we should not buy anything in excess, and keep a low profile. There will be no growth in incomes this year.