‘Hardly Had Chicken Returned, Normal Sugar Disappeared’

Social media is again boiling, according to reports from different parts of the country, sugar in stores is sold out immediately.

The authors of Komsomolskaya Pravda visited stores in different districts of the capital, and studied the situation.

To begin with, journalists visited a classic supermarket in a mall on Dziarzhynski Avenue. It turned out to be quite crowded here on a weekday evening. All the main products are in stock, but sugar is not easy to find. Yes, there is sugar, but the assortment, at first glance, is far from optimal. Refined sugar was found in the form of pieces (1.59 rubles per 500 grams), cane (1.99 per 450 grams), powdered sugar at 1.25 BYN per 200 grams. If desired, there is also brown sugar on the shelf (3.99 per 500 grams) and fructose - almost 6 rubles for the same weight. But there are no usual kilogram packs - neither the Haradzeya nor the Slutsk factories. We ask the seller what the deficit is connected with, and when deliveries could be expected.

- It is hard to say. Recently, many people have bought 10-15 packs of sand sugar. Probably for canned foods: I don't think so much sugar is needed to sweeten tea. To be honest, I cannot say when the new batch will be delivered. Stop by the other day, or something ... - the shop assistant hastily explained, and went about her business.

So, we are marching vigorously to the store of another chain, located next door. In it (oh, miracle!) classic kilogram packs were found. Yes, the shelves do not break with abundance, but it does not seem a problem to take a few packs. The price of the issue is 1.54 and 1.92 rubles per 900 grams. Both commodity items were produced at the Slutsk sugar factory.

We are moving to another area of the capital - Loshytsa. We are checking a supermarket on the Ihumenski tract. And here there is plenty of lump sugar, but there is no sand sugar in any variations. A kilo of sweet rectangles can be taken for 3.45 - twice as expensive as sand. At about the same price, but in different packaging, you can buy a flavored analogue. Sellers, by the way, could not tell the time of the return of sand sugar.

- For almost a week now. Recently I noticed that people take several packs at once. This happens every autumn. But for granulated sugar to be in short supply - this has not happened for a long time. Don't even ask when it'll be back on the shelves. It all depends on the supplier, - the store employee said, anticipating the clarifying question.

“It was easier to find sugar even under Gorbachev”

Having failed to find sugar, we go to a larger store and find ourselves in a hypermarket on Haretski Street. Here, to the credit of the retail chain, at first glance, sugar is in complete order: a huge rack is crammed with sand sugar. Basically, this is all the same Slutsk sugar in a 900 gram form factor. The price per pack is 1.68 rubles. I also found a variety of lump sugar from 1.69 to 2.99, depending on the packaging. To summarize: at this point, there is certainly no reason to talk about the deficit.

We are heading for the center of the capital. There are not many grocery stores in the heart of the city. We are checking a retail outlet in the “round the corner” format near the National Bank. There is sugar, but only a few packs: literally in front of our nose, one of the customers sent 5 packs to the basket at once. For a kilo of sweet sand, you will have to pay 1.68. For the amateurs of exotics, there is lump sugar from Azerbaijan - 3.75 and 4.83 rubles for 500 and 800 grams, respectively. A kilogram of a similar form of Haradzeya is 2.80.

Finally, we visit another supermarket in the capital's Paudniovy Zakhad microdistrict. And here we experienced a complete fiasco. On the shelves there was only cane sugar (3.89 per 500 grams) and gelling sugar at 3.29 rubles per kilo.

- Oh my, I have already walked around the fourth store and couldn’t find normal sugar anywhere. By God: even with Gorbachev's dry law, it was easier to find sand sugar. Hardly had chicken returned, sugar was gone! - an elderly man says angrily, examining the assortment of the counter. However, it’s not only him who was bewildered. Many, finding themselves at the rack, walked away with disappointment.

In turn, the sellers said that the problems with sugar began around September 15.

- Not only in our particular store. The situation, as far as I know, is the same at all points of the network. More or less. When sugar will return to the shelves, no one knows - we experience deja vu, hearing this phrase for the umpteenth time.

“Don't worry, sugar is already being brewed”

The results of our sweet march were mixed. It cannot be said that there is a total sugar deficit in stores, although its shortage is obvious. Especially in terms of assortment. So, in almost all points there was a lumpy analogue of refined sugar. There are also exotic versions, such as flavored, cane and brown sand. But finding ordinary sugar without dancing with a tambourine, most likely, will not work: you will have to check several stores. However, its diversity is not as wide as in the old days. Mainly, there is sugar of the Slutsk factory production on the shelves. Sometimes the products of the Zhabinka plant are found. But there is practically no Haradzeya. We introduced ourselves as upset customers and called the company.

- In general, everything is okay with our sugar. There was a small renovation season, but it is already over. Do not worry, a new batch of sugar is already being brewed and soon it will go to trade networks, - we were assured in Haradzeya.