Because of inspections at vegetable wholesale markets: many traders did not open their warehouses

Police and tax officials raid vegetables wholesale markets across the country. The reason for the large-scale checks is the high prices of fruit and vegetables. However, many of the traders went into hiding and did not open their warehouses. Perhaps because of this, the inspections found 5 offences, including lack of cash register and failure to issue a receipt.

In the marketplace near the village of Parvenets in Plovdiv, the inspection started at 6.00 am in the morning.

Trader Nikolina Ivanova told BNT:

"They all shut down.

- Because of the checks?

- Well, yes, because the goods come at very low prices. Their real price is not like that and everything has an impact on us."

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Representatives of the Economic Police, the National Revenue Agency and the Food Safety Agency were checking the traders' activities.

"For accountability, for issuing documents, everything - we require delivery documents.

- Have you found any violations so far?

- No," said Slavi Hristov of the Plovdiv Economic Police.

"They have to start with customs. Given the price goes though there, I don't know why they come to us? For example, the cucumbers price is about 3 BGN, on documents it is 0.40 BGN, but then we are pointed as some big speculators here, and in fact, it is not so," said Nikolina Ivanova.

Police today, March 16, also checked the vegetable market in the village of Karnalovo.

In Sofia, smaller warehouses remained closed because of the checks.

"Prices are high at the time, it's normal for me. Strawberries, tomatoes, cucumbers - when did your grandmother eat them in February, March? No such thing. It's normal to be expensive, these are not necessities," said Borislav, a trader in a vegetable warehouse.

"The real average price of, for example, tomatoes is about 2.60 BGN from Bulgarian producers, and imported ones come at 1.20 BGN. In the process of work it will be established what causes this serious difference in prices," said Georgi Marinski - head of the sector in the Economic Police at the General Directorate of National Police.

The inspections will continue in other localities.

Prices of basic foods in Bulgaria have risen between 20% and 40% in just a year - government takes urgent measures