NATALYA SHAGAIDA: “FOOD PRODUCERS GIVE UP DISCOUNTS AND CUT BACK ON RANGE"

Food producers in Russia are giving up discounts and optimizing their assortment due to ruble devaluation and Western sanctions. This will enable them to cut costs and rationally use raw materials, “Agroinvestor” writes. According to Natalya Shagaida, Head of Agrarian Department of the Gaidar Institute, consumers are quite resilient to such stress, judging by the reaction after the 2014 food embargo.

"People en masse did not notice any deterioration of the range of products at the time. Apparently, most were not focused on imported products and clearly expressed their desire to buy Russian goods. Year by year it can be seen that households are changing their provisioning practices. Although rural families have very modest incomes, they are quite optimistic about their diet. Clearly, many were guided by special shop deals," said the expert