NARVA - Narva residents swept salt, cereals and sugar from the city shops and markets last week after a Russian news program broadcast a report about the salt hoarding in Latvia's city of Daugavpils.
Matches and vinegar were also hot in Narva last week after Russia's First Channel reported on March 24 that residents in the eastern Latvian city were buying massive amounts of coarse salt - an ingredient required to preserve vegetables and other products - assuming it would be banned in the EU.
Coverage of the story on Estonia's national radio in Russian also added to the panic.
Expectedly, Narva residents bought not only all the salt in town but also across the river in Ivangorod, easily accessible for many locals who hold Russian citizenship.
As a result, the Ivangorod municipality had to restrict salt, sugar and cereals sale only to individuals who have valid Ivangorod residency.
In Narva, local retailers said the normal monthly allotment of these goods was sold in Narva within two days, and those wishing to buy salt on the weekend had to go home empty-handed.
The unexpected demand allowed the retailers in Narva to raise prices. The price for sugar went up by some 10 percent, and that for salt actually doubled.
Agriculture Ministry officials said that the panic hoarding was unreasonable and apparently caused by people being poorly informed about EU affairs.
Indeed, Narva and Daugavpils have much in common. Both cities are mainly populated by ethnic Russians, and both are among their respective countries' poorest regions.
According to a survey released by the Estonian Institute of Economic Research last week, about 40 percent of some 1,000 respondents interviewed believe the food prices in Estonia would significantly increase in connection with EU accession. Another 40 percent said they believe prices will increase to some extent.
About 20 percent of the respondents said they plan to buy food products before accession, and 14 percent said they had already done so.
The amount of supplies per household member among those who had purchased food products in anticipation of EU accession is astonishing. About one-third of them have 65 kilograms of sugar per household member, and 28 percent said they plan to buy about 63 kilograms of sugar per family member.
Salt and flour are not as popular among the local people afraid of EU price-hikes. Yet some families have stocked about 17 kilograms of salt and about 41 kilograms of flour per family member, according to the survey.
