Kosovo citizens launch boycott over rising prices

Many Kosovo citizens have joined initiative to boycott supermarkets as a result of the continuous increase in prices. They support this initiative, emphasizing that the government should take action to stop this phenomenon. The initiative has gained support on social media, where a group of citizens has been formed, calling for the boycott, which has been supported by more than 6,000 citizens, with over 200,000 others informed about it, CE Report quotes Kosova Press.

Xhevat Kastrati, one of the founders of the initiative, said that there have been reports from many citizens that the initiative is being respected, but also mentioned that there are individuals who are not informed about the boycott due to elections. Such an initiative was initially launched in several countries in the region, including Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and North Macedonia.

Citizens in Kosovo are complaining about high prices and price manipulations in some supermarkets. Citizen Nexhmedin Llapashtica, who supports this initiative, says that boycotts are not enough, and that there needs to be a larger response from the public.

"The prices are extremely high, and this initiative should be supported by everyone," says citizen Refik Ramaj. On the other hand, citizen Sevdije Hoti says that this initiative is timely, as, according to her, the prices are high. However, this initiative will not end today, as, according to the founders of the initiative, it will continue on other dates. Founder Xhevat Kastrati says that they will be better organized for the next date to inform a larger number of citizens.

“We have received numerous reports from citizens in our Facebook group, some say there are people, but others say that people are not buying in large numbers as usual. Now we have over 6,000 members on Facebook, and at least these will respect the initiative. Also, on Instagram, we’ve reached over 200,000 people through our commitments and thousands of shares. I believe we have at least managed to impact those who won't buy today... Based on views, over 200,000 citizens of Kosovo are informed. Elections have also affected the support of the initiative for the first date. But we will continue with initiatives on other dates,” says Kastrati to KosovaPress.

A few days ago, the president of the “Consumer” association, Selatin Kaçaniku, also supported the initiative, emphasizing that the era of deception and speculative prices is over. He had told KosovaPress that prices in Kosovo are rigged and should be lower than in the countries of origin, adding that Kosovo needs commercial representatives who would monitor the progress of exports and imports.

It is worth remembering that, angered by the continuous rise in prices, citizens of several Western Balkan countries were invited to boycott purchases in several large food stores at the end of January.