June 18 2002, 09:41 Interfax-Ukraine

Government to Monitor Price Levels

According to Interfax-Ukraina, Ukraine's Government has approved the list of socially important goods and services, the prices of which have to be permanently monitored on regions' consumer markets. The procedure for such a monitoring has also been sanctioned.

According to the Cabinet's resolution of June 13, the list includes top grade wheat flour and bread baked out of it; pasta, barley grouts; buckwheat, semolina, millet and rice. Also beef, pork, lard, poultry, some grades of boiled sausages, milk, sour cream, as well as cheese, butter, hen eggs, granulated sugar, sunflower oil, potatoes, cabbage, carrots, beet, onions, apples and salt have been enlisted.

The Government has also commissioned price monitoring for diesel fuel, the most popular grades of petrol and some more consumer items and services.

The monitoring is entrusted to the State Price Inspection. The bodies of central and local power, who have authority to regulate the prices, are obliged to inform this Inspection of economic feasibility of prices, being established by them. Besides, the Cabinet has commissioned corresponding Ministries to develop procedure of juridical amenability of businesses for non-execution of the price monitoring requirements.

Consumer prices in Ukraine in Jan-May this year are reported to have been stable, while last year 6.1 percent inflation was registered.