A GRAIN ELEVATOR REDUCED PRICES FOR GRAIN SHIPPING AFTER RECEIVING AN ADMONITION

Yershov elevator in the Saratov region decreased the costs of grain shipment services from 1000 to 600 RUB per ton

Joint efforts of the Prosecutor’s Office and the antimonopoly bodies to counter an unreasonable growth of prices amid fighting the new coronavirus infection bring quick results.

As an outcome of inspections organized by Saratov OFAS and the Prosecutor’s Offices of the Saratov region, it was established that “Yershovsky Elevator” Ltd. was planning to raise prices for its services despite absence of underlying economic factors. The Prosecutor issued an admonition to company’s Executive Director that violating the norms of the antimonopoly law are unacceptable and warned him about administrative liability.

Upon receiving the admonition, “Yershovsky Elevator” Ltd. reported about decreasing prices for grain shipments by 40 %.

Earlier, FAS sent a letter to depositories of the Federal intervention Fund of Agricultural Products. The Antimonopoly Service reminded elevators that they must conform to the norms of the antimonopoly law entering into storage contracts with the winners of grain tenders.

Head of FAS Anti-Cartel Department, Andrey Tenishev emphasized: “The decision of “Yershovsky Elevator” to decrease grain shipment prices is a representative result of interaction between the antimonopoly bodies and the Prosecutor’s Office. Such collaboration, particularly, anti-cartel inspections take place all over Russia, and we shall continue suppressing any attempts to unreasonably overshoot prices. And I’d like to remind companies, which still hope that their mala fide actions will remain unnoticed in the course of the pandemic, that the law provides not only for administrative but also criminal liability for cartels”.