The government wants to make a dubious marketing ploy
A real product, like talent, will find its own way. Less than 40 years have passed since the beginning of the farming movement in Russia, as the government decided to distinguish their products from a number of other manufacturers. Such an instruction — to legislate the concept of «farm product» — was given by Deputy Prime Minister Victoria Abramchenko. To once and for all «put an end to false advertising that misleads buyers.» But how will the innovation affect prices?
It must be said that the new initiative of the authorities misled both the farmers themselves and the buyers of their products. After all, if the requirements for products become tougher, this will inevitably lead to higher prices in the consumer market. Which are already high for a private producer, 30-40 percent higher than for large agricultural holdings. Why? Because he does not save on the right technology, the right fertilizers, quality raw materials…
And such products are in steady demand among buyers. In their understanding, farm products are something out of the ordinary in terms of environmental friendliness and quality. Therefore, consumers of such food do not particularly save money “for health”.
As conceived by the authorities, the farmer's mark on the packaging should become like the Quality Mark in Soviet times. And if the status of a farm product is obtained, then such a product will not lie in the basement, it can enter, say, the public procurement system for baby and school food.
– Both buyers and farmers are at a loss: will “home-cooked” products rise in price after they are given farm status? — we ask Igor Abakumov, Candidate of Economic Sciences, host of the Rural Hour program.
“It's not about prices, it's about product identification,” he replies. — The consumer must know for sure that he is buying “not a pig in a poke” and that the product is really produced on a farm, that is, it is craft, handmade. Purely a marketing ploy. So that the products “from grandmother Matryona”, which is initially positioned as peasant, become less, but they would really be farm work and no other work.
– Under the brand name of a farmer, food is sold today, produced in agricultural holdings, and even imported. They just re-paste the brands, so the product is inflated in price. Which is not surprising: although some farmers sin with «chemistry» and preservatives in their products, but not on such a scale as large manufacturers. And you have to pay for environmental friendliness and naturalness. The government has taken a step in the right direction.
I remember last season. Literally all cucumbers in Moscow and the Moscow region were sold as Lukhovitsky. But this cannot be: their volume is physically no more than one percent. And wherever you go — to the market or to the store — everywhere there is a sign: Lukhovitsky cucumbers. This is clearly a scam…
— Interest Ask. So that the appropriation system does not turn into a profanation and avoid the penetration of large manufacturers under this brand, ACCOR, the All-Russian Farmers Association, must necessarily participate in the preparation of the bill. Which knows all private producers and peasant farms literally by sight and by name.
…But no matter what the experts say, consumers still have questions. Everything is so arranged in our life that literally any innovation from the state in the consumer market, sooner or later leads to an increase in the price of goods on the counter. Agree that in this case it is a sin not to take advantage of such a convenient moment. It is one thing to buy sausage in a store or on the market, as “just sausage”, without paying much attention to the manufacturer. And it’s completely different — if the “farm” badge flaunts on it: therefore, it is as natural as possible, almost homemade.
Someone will definitely use it. If not the manufacturer himself, then the distribution network for sure. But, most likely, based on our rich consumer experience, sooner or later both will raise prices…