Belarus has enacted legislation that imposes fines on retailers for not stocking potatoes and other vegetables from stabilization funds. The law, published on July 16, introduces penalties between 5 to 200 base units, equivalent to 210 to 8,400 rubles this year. This measure comes after a decree allowing retail chains to obtain preferential loans at an annual rate of 3% to prepay for future-grown vegetables, ensuring offseason availability. These include potatoes, cabbage, carrots, beets, onions, and apples, with specified off-seasons.
President Alyaksandr Lukashenka signed these measures, addressing the lack of potatoes in markets as intentional actions by retail chains to highlight management inefficiencies. The security forces were reported to have resolved the shortage. Suppliers and stores are mandated to maintain these products in offseason periods, facing penalties for non-compliance.
Local entrepreneur Alyaksandr Knyrovich shared insights on this development, noting, "There is no economic feasibility to this, except that it is another injection of money into agriculture, which has already consumed several tens of billions of dollars." Meanwhile, industry experts express skepticism about the penalties related to potato shortages.
Source: BelSat
