The government will prepare a package of aid measures for producers who claim that, without help, they cannot lower the price of basic foodstuffs under their supply price in line with the government's price caps on nine basic foodstuffs, the Jutarnji List daily reported on Tuesday.

The daily obtained information that the Minister of Agriculture, Marija Vuckovic, met with some producers on Monday and reassured them that, in cooperation with the ministries of economy and finance, she would submit a proposal to assist producers by the end of this week or at the latest at the beginning of next week.

Just three days after the government’s decision on capped prices entered into force, customers are increasingly encountering empty shelves or restrictions on the quantities of certain foodstuffs they buy. After the Boso retail chain limited the purchase of sugar to two kilogrammes per customer, many smaller retailers are also announcing to follow its suit.

Damir Ascic, the president of the Association of Small Retailers, said he does not yet know what action will be taken by individual retailers. This association has 723 members.

“By yesterday afternoon, a dozen members informed me that they were withdrawing goods with capped prices from their shelves and they are continuing to contact me. Common sense says that working at a loss is not worth it,” Ascic said.

The biggest problem, he added, is sugar, which is sold in huge quantities at this time of year and the question is whether retailers will even be interested in purchasing goods that are more expensive to purchase than to sell, which will then lead to shortages, he added.

The State Inspectorate has confirmed that retailers have the right to decide which items they will or will not keep on their shelves, which means they can remove sugar from their shelves, and it is not illegal to limit the maximum amount of a single item that customers may buy, the Jutarnji List article notes.