OREANDA-NEWS. September 16, 2010. Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk hosted a joint meeting on food products prices with the Office of the Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation in the Far East Federal District, the Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS Russia) and the authority and the Prosecutor’s Office of the Sakhalin region, reported the press-centre of FAS Russia.

FAS Russia was represented by Stats-Secretary, Deputy Head of FAS Russia Andrey Tsarikovskiy; from the Office of the Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation at the meeting was present Deputy Special Representative Alexander Levintal. The meeting was also attended by the Heads of nine regional offices of FAS in the Russian Far East.

According to Mr. Levintal, “the Office of the Special Representative monitors prices for socially important food products and fuel in the Russian Far East by different regions. Practically every region has an inter-branch commission, which comprises representatives of the Antimonopoly Service”.

“Market economy has mechanisms that can constraint growth of prices for food products, for instance, it is possible to “pull the emergency brake” - freeze prices if they jumped up by more than 30%. But we need to understand clearly whether such tight measures are necessary”, said Mr. Levintal.

Andrey Tsarikovskiy emphasized the importance of cooperation with the Prosecutor’s Office to enable prompt enforcement, as antimonopoly investigations can take long time. “All regional FAS Russia offices in the Far East should inspect economic entities jointly with the Prosecutor’s Office”, believes Mr. Tsarikovskiy.

Regional offices of FAS Russia must immediately react to the facts of unjustified increase of prices and initiate proceedings upon the signs of violating the antimonopoly law or the law on trade.

The Head of the Amur OFAS Russia Tatiana Yakovleva said that her Office had initiated five cases based on the signs of violating the antimonopoly law. She pointed out that very often such problems are caused by errors made by local-self-government bodies. As of 15th September 2010, regional offices of FAS Russia initiated in total 98 cases upon the signs of violating the antimonopoly law or the law on trade.

The Head of the Office of the Federal Antimonopoly Service in the Altai Region (OFAS Russia) Sergey Pospelov told participants over the phone that this year output yield of buckwheat in the Altai region – the main supplier of buckwheat to the Russian Far East – is better than last year, so the demand for buckwheat will be fully satisfied.

At the meeting participants also outlined a package of measures aimed at preventing unreasonable increase of prices.