ATHENS, April 13 (Xinhua) -- For the first time, this year consumers in Greece planning to prepare a festive meal for the Greek Orthodox Easter, which falls on Sunday, will be able to purchase the basic ingredients at reduced prices.
The government, in cooperation with the country's supermarket chains, launched its special "Easter Basket" offer last week as part of a wider campaign of weekly "Household Basket" measures, which started last November. The aim is to help Greeks battle inflation triggered by the energy crisis and the Ukraine-Russia conflict.
The ordinary "Household Basket" includes staples such as bread, flour, eggs, meat, dairy products, legumes, rice and beverages. The festive "Easter Basket" contains lamb and goat meat, which traditionally are roasted on a spit, as well as chocolate eggs and local desserts.
For example, the price of lamb meat is the same or even lower than it was in 2022, starting at 9.69 euros (10.59 U.S. dollars) per kilogram, the Ministry of Development and Investment said in a press release.
This year, the average market price per kilogram of lamb meat is 9.99 euros, it said.
Greece's annual inflation rate hit a 30-year record high last June at over 12 percent, according to the Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT), and was 9.3 percent for the whole year, according to the Bank of Greece's latest estimates.
Year-on-year inflation eased to 4.6 percent in March this year as a result of lower energy prices, according to official statistics. (1 euro= 1.09 U.S. dollar) ■
