Penza, 18 December 2012. PenzaNews. Price growth for socially important food products, which was artificially restrained till compiling of the final results of the elections to the Legislative Assembly of the Penza region of the fifth convocation, held on October 14, 2012, was quite expected. This was stated by the regional coordinator of Penza branch of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia Anastasia Koptelova on Tuesday, December 18.

© PenzaNewsBuy the photo

“After the election, Penza residents received utility bills with the new rates, and also noticed the increase in fuel prices. Now it is the turn of price for bread,” she told news agency “PenzaNews.”

Anastasia Koptelova commented on the failure of Penza bakeries No. 2 and No. 4 of the holding “Stoylenskaya Niva” to follow a prescription of the regional office of the Federal Antimonopoly Service of Russia on price reduction for five types of socially important bread, which came out in November 2012. She said that all the participants bound by this legal relationship — both physical and legal entities — must always obey the Russian law.

“In this situation, it would have been wiser for bakeries No. 2 and No. 4 to follow the direction of the regional Federal Antimonopoly Service, and then, if necessary, to defend its position in court,” the agency interlocutor noted.

She added that the price growth for bread is a nationwide trend.

“It is hard to say what caused this. Maybe it is merely New Year’s price surge, and maybe, it is due to the raise of the cost price of bread. As we know, Russia was unable to provide itself with grain this year. According to the Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation, only 70 million tons out of estimated 77 million tons of grain were collected,” concluded the regional coordinator of the Penza branch of the Liberal Democratic Party.