OREANDA-NEWS. May 14, 2009. Following the instruction of the Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS Russia) and in order to ensure stability on the goods markets of the Russian Federation against the crisis on financial markets, the regional offices of FAS Russia continue monthly monitoring of prices for the socially important food products - bread, milk and sunflower oil, along all interrelated production chains of those products, reported the press-centre of FAS Russia.

Having analyzed the data collected by the regional offices of FAS Russia in March 2009, FAS Russia found that the ex-works prices for flour remained stable in most regions in that period. Also there is a clear downward tendency for ex-works prices.

The upward trend, however, was present in some regions. For instance, in the Volgograd region the ex-works prices of various producers increased by 2 - 17.2%. In the Ivanovo region the growth was 5 - 15%, in the Komi Republic - 10%. Ex-works prices are rising in the Omsk region (8%), the Tomsk region (6%) and in the Khakassia Republic (6%).

In other regions purchasing prices remain stable or are going down. Prices decreased considerably in the Penza region - up to 30%, in the Kostroma region - up to 25%, and in the Kurgan region - 17%.

Monitoring the bread market in February 2009 showed that the producers' ex-works prices for wheat and rye bread and bakery products remained stable in most regions; with the exception of the Arkhangelsk region, where bread prices increased insignificantly.

Retail prices for regular brands of wheat and rye bread and bakery products remained stable. Only in the Leningrad region retail prices dropped significantly: 10% for wheat bread and 25% for rye bread.

Retail prices for milk remained stable in most regions of the Russian Federation in that period, and increased slightly only in a few regions. The most significant increase (up to 33%) experiences the Republic of Kalmykia. In the Khakassia Republic retail prices grew up on average by 5-20%, in the Sakha (Yakutia) Republic - by 2-24%.

According to the regional offices of FAS Russia, in March 2008 retail prices for mil remained stable in most regions. In comparison with February 2009, producers increased ex-works prices for milk in the Amur, Ulyanovsk and Belgorod regions and the Khanty-Mansiisk Autonomous District (by 5-15%).

In several regions retail prices for sunflower oil went down in the reference period, and in few of them the reduction was considerable. For example, in the Leningrad region price reduction was 30%, in the Omsk region - up to 28 %, in the Kaluga, Kirov, Sverdlovsk, and Krasnodar regions and the Tyva Republic - by 20%, in the Novgorod region - up to 19%, in the Adygeya Republic - up to 18%, and in the Kaliningrad and Tver regions - up to 17%.

At the same time, some regions experienced considerable increase of retail prices for sunflower oil. For instance, price in the Volgograd region went up by 2-31%. In the Penza region ("Omeg-97" store) retail prices soared by 54%. In the Zabaikalye, Orel and Kostroma regions prices increased by 20%.

At the same time, ex-works prices for sunflower oil remained stable in most regions.

Data obtained through monthly monitoring shows that the market of socially important goods in the Russian Federation experience considerable price fluctuations (both upward and downward).

Price monitoring in March 2009 revealed the signs of antimonopoly violations in the Komi Republic, the Novosibirsk, Kursk, Belgorod and Kaliningrad regions and the Republic of Bashkortostan.

The offices of FAS Russia in those regions have initiated proceedings and are conducting antimonopoly investigations. Should the facts of violations of the antimonopoly legislation be confirmed, the antimonopoly bodies will be issuing determinations on stopping the antimonopoly violations, and impose administrative charges upon the violators.