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Title: Ukrainians strip store shelves as food prices Post by: Cold Warrior on June 26, 2003, 04:00:00 AM Ukrainians strip store shelves as food prices soar
Jun 26, 2003 12:58
There's no immediate relief in sight for the country that has some of the richest soil in Europe and was the breadbasket of the former Soviet Union. "How can I say how much (flour) will cost next week, if I don't have any now?" said the manager of Kyiv's Mekos grocery chain, who gave only his first name and patronymic, Ihor Nikolaivich. When he called his wholesaler to restock his shelves, he said, he was told the warehouse had been emptied by the run on goods. Store managers face similar problems all over this capital of more than 3 million people. "Yesterday, three tons of buckwheat just flew away, we didn't even manage to get it on the shelves, everything was taken right off the handcarts," the Interfax news agency quoted an unnamed product manager from the MegaMart store as saying. Some store managers have moved other goods onto the staple shelves to lessen the grim appearance of short supply. Flour that had been selling for about Hr 3.5 ($0.65) two kilograms at the beginning of the week was up to Hr 6 ($1.15) on Wednesday - where it was available at all. Buckwheat underwent a similar rise. The drastic price hikes take a severe bite out of the household budget of Ukrainians, whose average monthly income in 2002 was Hr 377 ($71). Title: Re: Ukrainians strip store shelves as food prices Post by: JaH on June 26, 2003, 04:00:00 AM ... in response to Ukrainians strip store shelves as food p..., posted by Cold Warrior on Jun 26, 2003
As an ex-pat in Crimea I can say that it is not a problem where I live, the prices same as years past, maybe a better selection of most foods, etc... Title: I think it's a regional issue for the moment Post by: John K on June 26, 2003, 04:00:00 AM ... in response to Re: Ukrainians strip store shelves as fo..., posted by JaH on Jun 26, 2003
As I mentioned before, my wife told me that Moldova has almost complete crop loss, due to a major drought they are experiencing. I would guess that the western border of Ukraine is going to see a lot of price hikes, due to Moldova buying more food and at elevated prices. Also, I would tend to think that the western edge of Ukraine is probably feeling the effects of the drought, reducing crop yields. Throw in some greedy speculators and population who still remembers the hoarding years and you get stuff flying off the shelves faster than they stock them. I would imagine Romania has a similar problem on their eastern border... |