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"Food prices above the regional average, the strengthening of the lek should have brought a decrease", Ibrahimaj admits, but offers no solution

2026-09-18 17:07:19Biznes SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
"Food prices above the regional average, the strengthening of the lek
Delina Ibrahimaj

The Minister of Economy and Innovation, Delina Ibrahimaj, at a meeting with supermarkets and suppliers, announced that work continues to complete the "Price Mirror" initiative, which aims to create transparency and provide information on price levels in the country, at the product level.

During her speech, Minister Ibrahimaj also focused on the price level of food products, which according to her are above the average for countries in the region, as well as the depreciation of the euro and the impact of food basket prices on imported goods.

"In recent years, we have all seen and discussed phenomena that should have influenced the reduction of prices. For example, the undervaluation of the euro, the overvaluation of the lek, so the strengthening of the lek should have necessarily influenced a reduction of prices, given that at least 40% of the products in the basket are imported.

Which means that for us, Albanian consumers, since the lek is stronger, those products should be a little cheaper. Of course, I believe there are reasons why this has not happened, but to better understand this phenomenon, we need to understand what is happening, where and why prices continue to rise in the country.

What happens when they have to be lowered due to the strengthening of the lek, due to positive developments in the Albanian economy? Why are these positive developments not transferred to consumers?

For analysis, I referred to the latest report of the Bank of Albania, which shows that imported inflation in the first half of the year has been declining, which means that domestic products are more expensive.

"But why are they more expensive? Who is the link in the chain that grows them?"

During her speech, Ibrahimaj said that the goal of the initiative is to provide transparency, analysis, and monitoring.

"We started the process by calling the main supermarket chains, as I said, asking everyone to provide us with a list of the products that they believe are the best-selling, which include grocery products, but also hygiene products. So, those that Albanian consumers use the most."

We wanted to have an alternative price for products produced locally and an alternative for products that are imported, in order to make both product categories transparent and analyze them.

Enough time was left. I am convinced that all supermarkets have the opportunity to publish this list of the best-selling products in an hour. These two weeks were left and only one of the supermarket chains responded to this list, while at the table they agreed, because it is a positive initiative, which stimulates competition.

It is an initiative that is not being done in Albania for the first time. It has been done in Greece, it has been done in Italy, it has been done in Spain, in Portugal, in Hungary. So, we have taken the models of other countries. We are not doing anything that is not happening in another country and we all agreed that, of course, it stimulates competition. No response came.

Meanwhile, in other meetings we have had with a smaller number of supermarkets that have come to the meeting, we have also discussed another initiative, following the example of Greece, to determine a list of low-value products, which are dedicated to the needy, which supermarkets would be committed to selling at a minimal or zero profit and we would fix these prices for a period until the end of the year.

And for this list, only one of the subjects, the same subject in fact that brought the first list, brought the second list.

"While I believe that we are all for one goal and that, in addition to the goal of profit, companies must also think about consumer protection and the public good, in conditions when we have increased prices and have prices above the average of countries in the region."


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