OREANDA-NEWS  President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko has reiterated that the recent shortage of potatoes in stores was artificially created for "political" purposes by large retail chains and "hucksters" profiting from uncontrolled price increases.

Lukashenko announced an artificial shortage of potatoes at a meeting on cinematography development on Tuesday and raised the issue again on Thursday at a meeting with the leadership of his administration. A fragment of his speech was shown by the Belarus 1 TV channel.

"They started joking with these potatoes. I pick up the phone: "Gerasimov (Chairman of the State Control Committee Vasily Gerasimov – ed.), sort it out and report. Together with the former prime minister. Answer with your head." We started to deal with large networks. He comes, and there's nowhere to put the potatoes. They have it in their warehouse. Why not on the counter? Politics! It must be shown that the authorities have crushed prices to such an extent that it is impossible to live on. That is, we have stepped on the sore point of these traders," the president said.