President Vladimir Putin said that he allows discussion of the introduction of food certificates for the poor in Russia.

He spoke about this during a meeting with the leaders of the State Duma factions, responding to the corresponding proposal of the leader of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia Vladimir Zhirinovsky.

At the meeting, Zhirinovsky noted that there are many goods in Russian stores, but they can be expensive for low-income categories of citizens.

In this regard, he proposed creating a special department in the store, or a separate store, where low-income Russians could purchase the necessary set of goods for a month with a certificate.

This practice, Zhirinovsky noted, is widespread in many countries of the world.

Vladimir Putin recalled that he had already instructed the government to "talk about this topic."

“There are pluses, there are certain problematic issues that need to be addressed.

But you can definitely think about it completely.

True, in my opinion, now it may not be as relevant as it was at the height of the epidemic, but nevertheless it is possible to talk, ”said the head of state.

Yaroslav Nilov, head of the State Duma Committee on Labor, Social Policy and Veterans Affairs, announced in September 2020 that the LDPR deputies began to develop a bill on the issuance of food certificates to low-income Russians. 

“We have begun to develop a bill that provides for the definition of the criteria of need for those citizens who will be provided with a food certificate for a fixed amount (at least 25% of the federal living wage),” Nilov said in his Telegram channel.

He clarified that in order to avoid abuse in the circulation of certificates, attempts to cash them out or purchase alcohol or tobacco products, it is necessary to draw up a list of food products that can be purchased using the certificate.

According to the deputy, the bill assumes that its owner will be able to purchase products for a fixed amount in a trade organization, after which this money is compensated to the organization from the budget.

In early December, the bill was submitted to the State Duma. 

Putin's order in connection with the rise in food prices

Recall that on December 9, 2020, during a meeting on economic issues, Vladimir Putin drew attention to the rise in prices for basic foodstuffs, called such a situation unacceptable and stressed the need to respond in a timely manner to such precedents.

The head of state noted that the increase in the cost of such goods is not associated with the coronavirus pandemic, and demanded that measures be taken to stop price increases within a week.

The President noted that the reason is the dynamics of prices in world markets and an attempt to adjust domestic prices to world ones, as well as to use export opportunities. 

“Listen, you and I know what needs to be done in these cases.

All the tools to curb the rise in prices, at least for these items, are known, you just need to react in a timely manner to what is happening, "the Russian leader emphasized.

After that, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin approved the composition of the working group for monitoring and prompt response to changes in consumer prices for socially significant goods.

The head of the Cabinet instructed to work out the parameters of agreements on curbing food prices, noting that he would personally monitor the situation.

He also announced the signing of a decree to increase duties on the export of sunflower and rapeseed from Russia from the new year in order to reduce sales to other countries and curb price increases.

The prime minister warned manufacturers and retail chains against trying to cash in on people when setting prices for products.

On December 16, the head of the cabinet said that the government had prepared all the necessary measures, including of a systemic nature, to stabilize prices for socially significant food products.

In particular, the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Industry and Trade have signed agreements with industry associations and a number of major federal retail chains to reduce prices for sugar and sunflower oil.

In addition, the Cabinet of Ministers has prepared a bill allowing the government, under certain conditions, to introduce price regulation for these products.

On December 17, during a big press conference, Vladimir Putin noted that he was hurt by the rise in food prices, which was not related to objective circumstances, such as the weakening of the ruble, and also demanded to continue to closely monitor price changes.