In a bid to lower food prices ahead of May’s presidential elections, Poland has announced the sale of 1,102 tons of butter from its strategic reserves. The move comes as butter prices soar due to a milk shortage, according to the government agency managing strategic reserves.
The butter, packaged in 25-kilogram blocks, will be auctioned at a minimum price of €7 per kilogram, significantly below the supermarket price range of €10 to €12. Poland joins other nations, such as China and Canada, in releasing strategic reserves during crises to stabilize supply and prices.
The rising cost of butter has become a symbol of Poland’s cost-of-living crisis. Presidential candidate Rafał Trzaskowski, representing the ruling party, recently blamed the central bank for poor inflation management, famously sending the bank governor a block of butter as evidence. Meanwhile, the opposition party, Law and Justice, highlighted the issue by sharing an image of butter stored in a bank vault, underscoring its soaring value and the burden on households.