You're reading: Update: Prime minister emphasizes nation’s buckwheat supplies suffice

Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov has said that there are no grounds for the sharp rises in the price of buckwheat or other food in Ukraine.

"I am talking to all citizens: the state has sufficient stocks of buckwheat, corn and other products," he said at an extraordinary government meeting in Kyiv on Friday.

The prime minister said a rush had been created artificially using a scenario that has been implemented for some years already, "when, in late summer – early autumn, after a story on TV and comments by experts, citizens start believing there is a shortage of a certain kinds of foodstuff."

"There are no grounds for a serious rise in prices," Azarov said.

The premier warned that those who want to profit from this situation will receive a harsh response from the government.

Read the official Ukrainian-language text of Prime Minister’s comments about buckwheat here.

Read a related Ukrainian-language article about Ukraine’s buckwheat supplies here.