Premier: Priority in 2024 Will Be Food Prices, Gov't Wants to Push on Inflation

        Bratislava, January 1 (TASR) - After energy prices, mortgages and a thirteenth pension, the government's priority in 2024 is the price of food or basic necessities, stated Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) in an interview for TASR.
        "I'm not building any castles in the air. Now I'm not saying that it has to drop by 30 percent but we're aiming to put a lot of pressure on inflation, to reduce it, so that people feel that for the money they earn, via salary or as pension, they'll buy a little more food in the stores. This will be the number one topic for us," he said.
        The premier pointed out that the government's decision to maintain energy prices at the level of 2023 had already caused a significant impact on the expected inflation in Slovakia, and it should slow down significantly next year. Despite this, the Slovak Republic is still a country with one of the highest inflation rates in the European Union, the prime minister noted.
        According to him, the government will adhere to the philosophy that it cannot deal with food prices when they are on the counter in stores. "We have to start where the food is produced. If there is a farmer, a producer of food, which then gradually reaches the counter in the store, we have to reduce the pressure on price growth already at the primary producer," stressed Fico, adding that they'll continue to waive levies in this sector.