Skopje, 18 November 2022 (MIA) – Minister of Economy Kreshnik Bekteshi says he expects the prices of basic food products to drop by up to 12-13 percent at the beginning of December. If there is no such drop, the Government will introduce new measures, said Minister Bekteshi after a meeting with producers and representatives of the largest supermarket chains on Friday. “We have solved the biggest issue of the companies. This is why we constantly hold meetings with the producers of basic food products. They will deliver their proposals next week. The relevant authorities will intervene where it is possible to do so. However, based on all projections and analyses, I expect a price drop of all the products listed in the Customs Administration’s decision. It is possible for the price of imported raw materials to increase but certain mechanisms exist that can be used to stabilize that as well, if it represents an issue to additional price drops, we are ready to use these mechanisms, but first we want to see that there is a willingness to share the burden of the crisis and not just lay it on the backs of the citizens or the producers,” said the Minister. He mentioned that citizens can report any irregularities concerning the price of basic food products to the State Market Inspectorate. “The trend of reducing the prices of certain products has already begun, especially concerning bread, milk, dairy and certain meat products. According to all calculations, additional price drops are expected in the coming days since ESM Sales is finishing up the procedure of concluding agreements with companies producing basic food products,” said Bekteshi. At the meeting, Bekteshi said that the producers were also informed that analyses on additional measures are underway, which are expected to be implemented by the end of 2022. ad/ik/