President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, addressed recent concerns over potato shortages in retail stores, stating that the issue was not caused by an actual lack of supply but by political motives. This was reported by the Belarusian state-affiliated news outlet Sputnik.
"There are enough potatoes, and everything else," Lukashenko said during a meeting.
In May, Lukashenko instructed the State Control Committee to investigate shortages in certain retail chains. According to him, the committee found that the disruption was artificially created.
"When the State Control Committee checked some individuals, it turned out the issue was political," the president stated. "There were plenty of potatoes. But somewhere, someone held them back to show that because the president intervened in pricing, this was the result."
He added that once enforcement actions were taken, the supply returned: "The official came in with handcuffs, put them on the table, and the potatoes appeared."
Lukashenko also said that new-season potatoes have already started appearing on store shelves. During a recent meeting with the Kaliningrad Region Governor, he confirmed Belarus is ready to supply the region with food products, including potatoes.
Earlier, Lukashenko had indicated that Belarus could increase its potato planting areas to ensure a stable supply both domestically and for export to Russia.
Source: sputnik.by