The Minister of Agriculture. « The ceiling was a mistake »
The sale of the products has increased by 30%, since the ceiling of the commercial addition came into force, with decreases of prices between 7% and 33% of the products targeted by this measure, according to the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Florin-Ionuț Barbu.
‘We are talking about the ceiling of the commercial addition to the 19 product categories. There were decreases in the prices between 7% and 33% for the products we had in the ceiling. (…) Since the ceiling of the commercial addition came into force, the sale of the products has increased by 30%. It has been shown that there was a mistake including in the energy system, because you do not have to go with a product ceiling. The ceiling of the product involves expenses of the Romanian state, because (…) when there is a ceiling on the product, as a state you have the obligation to pay the losses registered by companies, including energy, « said the minister at Foodintelforum, representative event for agribusiness, food production, drinking, retail and horeca.
In his opinion, the ceiling of the commercial addition must be made from the energy producer to the users.
« I proposed and I will continue to propose the ceiling of the commercial addition from the energy producer to the users because then the state will no longer have to pay amounts between four, five or six billion lei per year that only intermediation and are not energy producers, » said the minister.
The ceiling of the commercial addition to the basic foods, a measure taken in August 2023 to combat excessive prices and targeting 14 food groups, was continued in 2024, but the list was extended. The executive decided, at the end of last year, the extension of the measure until June 30, 2025.
The list includes: simple white bread with weight between 300-500 grams, without specialties; Consumer milk 1 l, 1.5%fat, except UHT; Cheese cow’s cheese; Simple cow’s milk, 3.5% fat, with maximum weight 200 grams; White wheat flour ‘000’ up to 1 kg; Mălai up to 1 kg; chicken eggs caliber m; sunflower oil up to 2 l; Fresh chicken; fresh pork; fresh bulk vegetables; fresh bulk fruits; fresh white potatoes; White Sugar Tos up to 1 kg; cream – 12% fat; butter up to 250 grams; Magiun up to 350 grams.
