Leanid Zaika: Prices to grow 30% at the beginning and then higher

The single rate of the Belarusian ruble has been established. What will happen to prices after the Ministry of Trade forbade to raise them until February 1?

Leanid Zaika, the head of the analytical centre Strategy, thinks sellers will pay less attention to the Ministry of Trade's order day by day. He said it in an interview with Salidarnasts.

“Prices have begun to grow before February 1. I monitor the situation in large retail chains, such as Evroopt. Prices on mandarins, oranges, apples and pears have increased. I wouldn't say sellers fulfill the orders of the Ministry of Trade,” Leanid Zaika noted. “They also use the Soviet practice: they change the title of items and change prices. In the times of the strict Soviet control, sellers changed names of sausages, butter and other products. They use this practice now. You can give milk a new name and rise its price from 8,000 to 9,000 rubles.”

The head of the analytical centre Strategy thinks that prices will grow in the nearest days in proportion to the almost 30% devaluation of the Belarusian ruble.

“Price will grow firstly by 30% and then even higher. I've seen data of Russian banks. They propose 15,500 Belarusian rubles a dollar.

I think the Ministry of Trade understands that it would be hard to keep prices at the current level. The ministry of trade cannot control prices in any country of the world, including Belarus, where prices to a large extent depend on prices in foreign countries. Prices in Belarus are formed by foreign markets. If the national currency becomes cheaper, goods grow in price. If the price growth is curbed, prices will skyrocket and become higher than they would be with a gradual increase,” Leanid Zaika said.