Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev on Tuesday fumed about retail pork prices, which were holding their ground despite the country’s membership in the World Trade Organization.
Wholesale pork prices have tumbled 30 percent since Russia joined the World Trade Organization in August, opening the way for an increase of cheaper imports.
Medvedev said it was a shame that shoppers have not noticed the change.
“This is, of course, totally outrageous,” he said at a government meeting, Interfax reported. “This means economic regulators don’t do their job.”
Andrei Tsyganov, a deputy chief of the Federal Anti-Monopoly Service, said meat supply deals usually came with a host of other agreements for promotion, advertising and the like. These other papers account for most of the resulting pork price, he said.
Medvedev countered that he was prepared to support some legislative changes to rectify the situation. For one, the law that governs retail trade could be amended, he said.
First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov, Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich and State Duma deputies will work on the proposals, Dvorkovich said.