Kosovo leaders have declared that they’re doing everything they can to refrain sellers from taking advantage of the present global crisis to artificially jack up prices.
Police have been patrolling several businesses for evidence of malpractice and irregularities with how they price their products.
During an operation, they were able to confiscate more than 6.000 liters of untagged oil bottles, while fining businesses up to €1.000 euros each.
On Thursday, word started going around that there was no more cooking oil on shelves and as a result, the price of oil went up by €1.20 euros overnight.
A bottle of oil, which would usually sell for €2 euros, started selling for €3.49 euros.
2 storages rooms were shut down following a state order after police were able to crack down on the sellers that hid their product in order to make it seem like shelves had run out of oil.
The ministry of commerce in Kosovo told citizens to “lookout” for abusive businessmen, adding that the sudden rise in prices was artificial.
“Citizens don’t need to stock up on essential foods and groceries. We are receiving regular supplies of these products as usual, but a few operators have brutally taken advantage of the situation and started spreading panic amongst citizens – by initially hiding their product and then returning it with a higher price tag,” – read the ministry’s notice.
Owners of several oil companies in Kosovo said that they’ve got hundreds of thousands of liters of unrefined oil in stock.
In one of the firms, which was visited by PM Albin Kurti, the owner said that there’s enough oil for the entire population for a full year.
PM Kurti called the rise of prices for cooking oil, ‘artificial’ and ‘abusive’, while civil society activists have called on the business sector to stop exploiting buyers and refrain themselves from illegal price gouging.
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