Armenian citizens affected by sharp increase in fruit and veg prices

Public Television of Armenia, Yerevan
8 Jul 04

[Presenter] High prices in the Armenian fruit and vegetable markets,
unusual in the summer, continue to shock citizens. Fruit prices
increased 20 per cent in the republic last month. The cheapest price
for one kilo of apricots is 1000 drams [about 2 dollars]. The
government has no means of halting the jump in prices. It is
impossible to stop the frost and hailstorms which are the reasons for
the high prices.

[Correspondent over video of market] The sensational price of apricots
this year in the fields is 1000 drams, in the shops 3000 drams.

[Unidentified woman, captioned in the market] I think that we won’t be
able to make jam this year.

[Correspondent] There are people in the motherland of apricots who
have not yet tasted apricots because of the high prices, let alone can
think of making winter preserves. It is better value to enrich the
ration with oranges and bananas, which are imported to Armenia, than
with the expensive apricot. About 215 tonnes of apricot which were
cultivated this year were exported, and when the fruits of the
mountainous areas ripen this will also have an influence on market
prices.

[Agriculture Minister David Lokyan, captioned] We have created
opportunities for the farmers to sell their products at high prices,
this is regarding cherries and other fruits, and even grain. This
satisfies me.

[Correspondent] The main reason for the high prices in the
agricultural markets was the frost and hail at the beginning of the
year. The prices in the markets in the morning are more expensive than
in the evening. You can learn from the farmers who are selling their
products not in the markets but outside, the reasons why they are
selling their products at such expensive prices. They are complaining
about the high prices of fuel, the parking prices near the markets and
bribes. It is impossible to regulate the price policy in the markets.
In cases where ecologically-pure agricultural products are exported
abroad at high prices the same products cannot be sold cheaply inside
the country.

[David Lokyan] The farmer must produce and sell in his village, in his
field at high prices. Special trade organizations or people must work
on this problem.

[Correspondent] The cheapest produce in the agricultural markets today
are green vegetables and potatoes.

Hermine Bagdasaryan, “Aylur”.