High prices food in Norway is a fact. Unfortunately, we have no influence on them. There are many reasons for the problem of high prices. Greater emphasis on border trade, weakening krone. Ivar Gaasland, associate professor at the University of Business (BI), says it bluntly. In his opinion, the source of high prices in Norwegian grocery stores are customs barriers that protect Norwegian farmers. Prohibitive tariffs on foreign agricultural products mean that there is practically no real competition for Norwegian products in stores. Bah! It doesn't even exist. According to the government, there is nothing that can be done about this issue. Are you sure? Opinions are divided here.
High food prices - necessary state support ...
Ivar Gaasland, associate professor at the Bergen University of Economics (BI), said that increased state aid was an excellent alternative to prohibitive import prices.
“When import protection is a problem, I'm afraid government action will only worsen the current situation. The government plans to introduce solutions supporting competition at the store level. After all, the problem lies at the supplier's level. Measures such as top-down price regulation from suppliers can only exacerbate the problems. If the network knows that others will receive the same price from the supplier, its negotiating position will significantly weaken. Farmers receive an annual support of around 26 billion kronor, half of which comes from the state budget and the other half comes from prohibitive tariffs on imported goods. These funds could be redistributed to remove the customs barriers. " Ivar Gaasland told Nattevisen.
How to buy without going bankrupt?
High food prices. How can we shop without affecting our household budget?
- only buy what you really need,
- make shopping lists,
- buy online - it is often cheaper there,
- make purchases from local suppliers - this way you support local business in your place of residence or in the vicinity.
And what are your ways to save money? We have already written about this in the text: Food prices in Norway higher than inflation