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Lukashenko cautiously optimistic on consumer prices, warns against complacency

VILEIKA DISTRICT, 7 August (BelTA) – Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko placed particular emphasis on the pressing issue of prices and pricing during a meeting on providing the rural population with a comprehensive assortment of goods to meet all their needs, BelTA has learned.

According to the National Statistical Committee data, this year has seen moderate growth rates in consumer market prices. Prices for goods and services in June 2026 rose by just 2.9% compared to December of the previous year. “It looks pretty good, but we can’t be complacent; this is still growth,” the president warned.

For certain items, the increases have been steeper: since the start of the year, prices for fresh white cabbage have risen by 38%, onions by 24%, and beets by 17%.

“Violations of pricing discipline are occurring everywhere; criminal cases have even been opened [on these grounds],” said Aleksandr Lukashenko.

The president noted that on 10 July of this year, the Council of Ministers issued a resolution reducing the list of regulated goods from 200 to 76 items (72 food items and 4 nonfood items).

“We’ll see how your decision plays out in the long run. But keeping prices and inflation within the planned corridor is the government’s responsibility,” the head of state stressed.

He separately addressed the issue of devising a “fair price formula.” “The government has not come up with a mechanism yet. Initially, it was proposed to conduct monitoring using the automated information system ‘Price Analysis.’ I warned the first deputy prime minister [the official responsible for this matter, Nikolai Snopkov] at a government meeting that you can build whatever system you like, but it has to deliver results. Now it seems they want to shelve it. I’m not talking about artificial intelligence here; I’m talking about managerial intelligence, where tasks and accountability come into play,” said Aleksandr Lukashenko. 

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