Due to the reduction in sales of dairy products farmers of the Altai region is accumulated in the warehouses not only in this region but also in the Novosibirsk and Kemerovo regions. The value of unclaimed stocks of butter, dried milk and cheese is about 4 billion rubles., which is a record for the past 13 years, reports TASS with reference to the Minister of agriculture of the Altai territory Alexander Chebotaeva.

According to him, the situation is changing with the remains of "sharp", and it is probably associated with the pandemic coronavirus infection and falling purchasing power. "Perhaps because of this we have in 2020 as never increased the reserves — we have never had such a serious carryover dry milk, animal butter and cheese — they are at times more than last year, which was also not very favorable," said Chebotaev (quoted by TASS).

Altai Krai produces 1.2 million tonnes of milk for own consumption 200 thousand tons of the Rest you need to take out, but the transport of whole milk is practically impossible because of what the region has to produce hard and semi-hard cheese long maturation. Accordingly, the dairy plants need to take out loans, to freeze money for a long time, which is more expensive products.

According to Chebotaeva, significant reserves put pressure on price, production and so is not for sale, and dairies are forced to take out loans. Also a problem was the falling prices for raw milk producers, and to restore them to the plants need short-term soft loans for its purchase. The region has agreed with the Federal Ministry of agriculture to increase the limit of concessional lending to one enterprise, the region also requests an additional $ 60 million roubles to the refiners could take soft loans, adds Chebotaev.

In may, there was a tendency of growth stocks maloletki products — cheese, butter, dry whole and skim milk. This was particularly noticeable in the Altai region: it is one of the leaders in the production of commercial milk, and one of the regions with the most developed processing industry, told "the Agroinvestor" Director General of the National Union of milk producers ("Soyuzmoloko") Artem Belov. "Today we see a decline in demand due to the reduction of incomes of the population, and stocks, respectively, begin to grow. Most notable, this situation in the Altai region, but this trend is typical for the whole Russia — stocks are gradually increasing," he adds.

In turn, large inventory for a business will mean a freezing of working capital and low demand will put pressure not only on prices of the finished products but also raw milk. "The result of this situation may be a correction of prices for raw materials and a deterioration in the financial condition of the enterprises which are engaged in recycling," — said Belov.

On 8 June, the office of the FAS in the Altai region opened a case due to a substantial drop in purchasing prices for milk, is spoken in the message of Antimonopoly service. The farms appealed to the Ministry, which revealed the signs of violation of legislation by three buyers — "Barnaul dairy plant", "Agrotrade-Katun" and the Tomsk company "SMK". "Since January of this year, these companies were completely missing "run-up" of prices for the purchase of milk: until April 1 did the price of 21 rubles/L. in addition, since April 16, recorded a one-time decrease to 20 RUB/l, from 1 may to 18 rubles, and from may 16, the price established in the amount of 17 rubles/l", — stated in the message on the website of the office. Simultaneous setting of prices at the same level is illegal, like the service.