ATHENS (REUTERS) – Supermarket chains in Greece stated on Thursday (March 24) they’re proscribing how a lot flour and sunflower oil prospects should buy, saying the step was precautionary after seeing demand rise on worries provides will likely be hit as a result of battle in Ukraine.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has led to a surge in costs and considerations about product shortages throughout industries within the European Union. Both Russia and Ukraine are key suppliers of sunflower oil and wheat.
Following related measures in Spain and Italy, 4 Greek grocery store chains – AB, Sklavenitis, Kritikos and My Market – stated they’d restricted on-line and in some instances in-store purchases this week of flour and sunflower oil. AB stated it has positioned a restrict of three baggage of flour and three bottles of oil per buyer.
The Secretary General for Commerce and Consumer Protection Sotiris Anagnostopoulos advised Ant1 TV on Thursday that demand for some merchandise had elevated three-fold in current weeks as customers refill. The authorities stated this week that thus far, there have been no shortages. Officials at three of the grocery store chains confirmed that was the case on Thursday.
“The reason for the cap on these products is only precautionary, as our customers are concerned about the war in Ukraine,” an official at AB supermaket chain, who declined to be named, advised Reuters. “We want to ensure we will be able to serve our customers’ needs in the future too.”
Officials on the different three grocery store chains additionally advised Reuters that they’d imposed restrictions on flour or sunflower oil.
Greece imports about 250,000 tonnes of soppy wheat from Russia and Ukraine, about 30 per cent of its complete wheat imports, the agriculture minister stated earlier this month.
The authorities has requested suppliers, reminiscent of supermarkets and different meals retailers, to declare stockpiles of merchandise together with fertilisers, animal meals, grains, flour, sunflower and different vegetable oils.
“Flour and sunflower oil are the two products which, apart from energy, the war has affected more than anything else,”Development Minister Adonis Georgiadis advised Ant1 TV this week.”There are already shortages all through Europe.”
Spanish supermarkets have restricted the acquisition of sunflower oil to some bottles per particular person.
Some supermakets in Italy have carried out related measures.
