FAS Russia supervises observance of the Antimonopoly legislation when contracts on grain storage are concluded.
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The activities of grain elevators are considered for monopolistic price-fixing of the services provided, imposing unfavorable conditions that are not related to the scope of the contract, unjustifiably setting tariffs, as well as creating discriminatory conditions when concluding grain storage agreements with organizations that purchase grain from the intervention fund.
The Federal Antimonopoly service of Russia has previously sent a reminder to the custodians of the Federal intervention fund for agricultural products about the need to comply with the antimonopoly law when concluding storage agreements with the winners of grain auctions.
After the involvement of the FAS Russia and the prosecutorial bodies, tariffs for storage and shipment of grain were reduced in the Omsk region, in the Saratov region, in the Novosibirsk region, in the Republic of Bashkortostan.
Rostov Regional Office of the FAS Russia initiated a case on the grounds of violation of the Law on Protection of Competition in respect of LLC "Millerovozernoprodukt".
"In the context of combating the coronavirus pandemic, we cannot allow an unjustified increase in prices for grain elevator services. Unfair behavior of some market participants threatens the implementation of measures taken by the Government of the Russian Federation to implement the state agricultural policy.
"The desire of grain elevators to obtain unjustified benefits by raising tariffs may lead to an increase in prices for final products and, as a result, neutralizes the very essence of conducting commodity interventions," said Pavel Zaborschikov, Deputy Head of the FAS Russia.
"Public procurement interventions are carried out in order to stabilize prices in the market. Under the circumstances, the high prices along with the imposition of unfavorable terms at the conclusion of contracts for storage of grain of the intervention fund with winners of tenders are absolutely unacceptable, therefore in detection of violations the response should be immediately applied by competition authorities," noted the acting Head of the Department for Control over Agro-Industrial Complex of the FAS Russia Larisa Vovkivskaya. ■