“When I look at how the Minister of Agriculture communicates, I have to say that he is one of the leading misinformers in this country,” says the president of the Trade and Tourism Association Tomáš Prouza about Zdenek Nekula’s words that traders often make senseless margins on food. According to him, customers have a choice whether to buy expensive food or not. When will it finally be cheaper again? And who is to blame for the high prices?
You can watch the entire interview in the introductory video or listen to it in your favorite podcast app. What were its main themes?
0:33 – 2:42 Does Tomáš Prouza think that the worst of food price hikes is behind us? And is there an item that won’t go down no matter what?
2:42 – 6:32 How much does he and the average Czech family spend on food? Does he look for discount events himself, as he advised people?
6:32 a.m. – 9:55 a.m. How are prices agreed between suppliers and merchants and why do stores alternate discount events? How is one supposed to approach items they can’t pass up and does anyone have time to go around different stores with different discounts?
9:55 – 15:04 What is the pricing process from the farmer to the supplier to the supermarket shelves? How do traders calculate margins and what do they include? According to Prouza, why is Minister of Agriculture Nekula “the biggest misinformer”?
15:04 – 16:54 Who earns the most from Czech customers? And besides improving the situation around energy prices and the market, what would help bring down food prices?
16:54 – 19:12 What should the government do to prevent the biggest agro-barons from profiting from customers?
19:12-21:43 Did the president of the Trade and Tourism Association manage to meet with Minister Nekula and discuss the current situation?
21:43 – 26:04 What three basic things would Prouza recommend to the government to reduce food prices to at least “regular” prices, and what the merchants themselves can do for this.
