The assortment of socially important products may be reduced due to amendments to the law on trade, Vedomosti reported, referring to the letter of the Association of Retail Trade Companies to the head of FAS Maxim Shaskolsky.

The draft law stipulating the reduction of the term for payment for food products by trade networks to suppliers to 4-10 days can lead to the reduction of the range of socially important goods on store shelves. The very introduction of the amendments was justified by the fact that food producers are constantly in a liquidity shortage. The point is that the received loans increase the cost of products, and previously the deferred payment was a free loan of trade by suppliers.

The list of socially important goods includes basic meat, butter and sunflower oil, milk, eggs, sugar, salt, flour and bread, various cereals and pasta, tea, borsch set vegetables and apples.

Association of Retail Trade Companies believes that the bill will not be able to hold or freeze the rise in prices of socially important products, because it increases the logistical burden. As a consequence, the range of products will be reduced, which will most likely lead to the bankruptcy of a number of small companies.

A source in one of the retail chains explained that because of the bill the turnover of a number of products will exceed the minimum payment terms. For faster sales, retailers will reduce the volume of purchases, but their frequency will increase markedly, as well as logistics costs.