ATHENS, April 20 (Xinhua) -- The traditional Easter meal in Greece this year will cost consumers on average 35 percent more than that of 2021, a survey released recently by the country's consumers' federation shows.

       The impact of the energy crisis and the Ukraine-Russia crisis on the prices of basic goods is being felt by the average household, as Greeks go shopping for the Greek Orthodox Easter which falls on this Sunday, experts and professionals told Xinhua in recent interviews.

       "The prices of lamb and goat meat have increased significantly, as well as the prices of the rest of the products in the market like fruits and vegetables, flour and desserts," said George Lechouritis, President of the General Consumers' Federation of Greece (INKA) which released the survey.

       The wholesalers' price for lamb and goat meat, which are the main ingredients for the Greek traditional Easter meal, this April stands at about 9.5 euros (10.32 U.S. dollars) per kilo on average, according to data from the Central Market and Fishery Organizations. Last year it was about seven euros per kilo and in 2020 lower than six euros per kilo.

       In Athens' central meat market "Varvakeios" and butcher shops across the Greek capital, customers pay up to 13 euros per kilo this year.

       According to INKA, for about 10 kilos of meat which is roasted on a spit or in the oven, combined with vegetables for salads, cheese platters, eggs, sauces, bread, fruits, desserts, wine, beer and soft drinks, one household need to spend 296.65 euros.

       Many consumers are deleting items and reducing quantities on their shopping lists, Lechouritis told Xinhua.

       "The psychology of Greek consumers is bad due to the high prices. In meat products prices have spiked by at least 20 percent in the past 2 to 3 months," Vassilis Delifillipides, a 3rd generation butcher and press officer of the Association of Athens-Attica Butchers, told Xinhua.

       "People are very conservative. They buy small quantities. There is sluggish traffic in the market, so we do not expect profits to fill in the gaps in our budgets," Delifillipides added.

       "We hope that the traffic in the market will increase more in the last few days before the holidays, as usual. The truth is that this year it is a little better compared to last year," Andreas Niotis, President of "Varvakeios" told Xinhua. Due to movement restrictions during the pandemic, in 2021 many clients could not easily reach the city center, he explained.

       But while the numbers of customers have risen, revenues and profits are shrinking due to energy costs for the 24/7 operation of fridges, he added.

       "Butchers face a huge cost that we did not have in the past and it will be difficult for us to survive in this situation," Niotis said. (1 euro= 1.09 U.S. dollars)