The Minister of Agriculture, Florin Barbu, announced, on Thursday said that work is being done on the project regarding the limitation of the markup to all products processed in Romania, noting that „there is an unfair commercial practice out there, where Romanian products bear very high markup, while the imported products enjoy a very small markup.”

He explained, at the Victoria Palace, that all categories of imported products that are not processed or slaughtered and are sold as raw materials will have a 5% markup.

According to Barbu, the project regarding the capping of the markup to Romanian products will be completed this year.

„We are working on this project at the moment. We know very well that the ordinance on capping the markup was extended by the Romanian Parliament until December 31 and I thank my colleagues because even today we see a decrease in inflation and today we see, from the data released by the National Institute of Statistics, that the consumer price index has decreased on the 21 basic foods due to the ordinance that we came up with, by percentages between 8 and over 30%. It is being worked on, I will not declare this normative up finished until all factors get involved and agree, and we are talking here about the retail area, we are talking about processors, we are talking about the Competition Council,” said the minister, after the Government meeting.

Asked if the normative act could be adopted by the end of June, Barbu mentioned that he does not think this will be possible. „But there can also be an option to have it approved by ordinance, then sent to Parliament for further approval,” added Florin Barbu.

At the same time, when asked about the fact that the markup was limited for certain foods, while other products became more expensive, Florin Barbu mentioned that the project regarding the capping of the markup for all processed products in Romania is necessary because „this is an unfair commercial practice unfair, with Romanian products having a very high markup, and the imported products having a very small markup.”

„We really want all Romanians to have access to Romanian food in retail and at fair prices. And, more than that, this ordinance or draft law that will come will basically support the consumption of Romanian food and increase the level of processing in Romania, because, you know, in the next period, both the Ministry of Agriculture, through European funds, to a very good extent, DR 22, for processing in Romania, as well as the important programme that we launched, INVESTING in processing in Romania, si in two months Romania will be able to sign contracts worth more than 2 billion euros in processing in Romania and, therefore, we need these laws so that these products that the processors make reach the shelf and at a fair price for consumers and for Romanians with low and medium incomes,” explained the minister.

AGERPRES