Industry union proposes that retail chains fix potato prices

The Potato Union has suggested that retail chains approach suppliers with an offer containing a fixed purchase price for potatoes, Shopper’s writes, citing the union’s head of staff, Tatyana Gubina. It is proposed to fix prices for inexpensive bulk potatoes under current contracts with retail chains for the next three months. Retailers are currently considering the proposal. In the future, this approach could extend to agricultural contracts, which some chains are already actively concluding with agricultural producers, Gubina believes. The proposed measures will reduce the market’s dependence on constant price fluctuations, when potatoes become cheaper with a large harvest, and farmers reduce their plantings the following year, and when the harvest decreases, prices rise again. By fixing prices, producers will be able to increase their margins, and there will be no sharp price jumps on the market, the union believes. This year, unfavorable weather conditions worsened ripening ...