The coordinator of the Bloco de Esquerda, Catarina Martins, said this Monday that “people know that they are being robbed every day when they arrive at supermarkets”, accusing the government of saying that it will “study” the situations when it does not want to do something.
“People know that they are robbed every day when they arrive at supermarkets. They see the profits of the big distribution groups grow, they see their wages come to a standstill”said the BE coordinator in Porto.
The deputy, who will leave party coordination at the end of May, was questioned about Sunday’s statements by Agriculture Minister Maria do Céu Antunes that the government is studying “all measures” so that consumers can get the right price for food. pay.
“What I think is that when the government doesn’t want to do anything, it says it will study or prepare a working group”said Catarina Martins today in Porto, on the sidelines of a demonstration by CP – Comboios de Portugal bar staff, at Campanhã station.
Catarina Martins also reminded farmers that “they are not receiving the money due” for their products.
“So yes, there really is a speculative movement in large-scale distribution, and the government, because it doesn’t want to do anything, says it will study. I think this is unacceptable, we said it.”he concluded, also defending the control of profit margins and prices.
The establishment of the price observatory, announced in May 2022 by the government, was formalized by a decision published last October.
The aim is ‘effective monitoring’ of costs and prices in the agri-food chain and greater transparency.
An Agriculture Ministry source contacted by Lusa did not give a date when the observatory would begin operating, only referring to it being “in the very near future”.
Source: DN
