The Prosecutor’s Office reported a reduction in milk prices by producers after its inspection

“During the inspection carried out by the Prosecutor General’s Office of Russia, producers JSC Wimm-Bill-Dann, LLC Ekomilk and others adjusted milk prices to the previous level due to the lack of objective reasons for their increase,” the statement said.

The department began an inspection on November 12, which was carried out with the participation of the Federal Antimonopoly Service, the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Industry and Trade. This happened after Vedomosti wrote that Wimm-Bill-Dann and Ekomilk warned retailers about rising milk prices. The first company increased the cost of the product by 3.4% from November 1, the second – by 10% from October 1.

The main reason why producers were forced to increase milk prices was the increase in the key rate in 2024, Soyuzmoloko told RB.RU. Due to this, the cost of production has increased throughout the chain, including wages, feed, energy resources and equipment maintenance, the association said.

At the end of October, the Board of Directors of the Central Bank increased the key interest rate by 200 basis points. p. – up to 21% annually. The regulator explained the measure as an attempt to “return inflation to the target.” Experts interviewed by RB.RU said that an increase in the rate could lead to a series of bankruptcies of companies that would not be able to cope with the increased cost of borrowing.