VEGETABLE OIL AND BUTTER ROSE IN PRICES
By Gohar Gevorgian

AZG Armenian Daily
04/10/2007

Recently our fellow-citizens were taken aback because of the sharp
rises in the prices of consumer goods.

Unable to bear the rise in bread prices our citizens today think
of how to put up the prices of vegetable oil and butter in their
miserable salaries.

Actually, the prices of consumer goods rise rapidly and
severely. People comment on the rise of prices differently.

1 liter of vegetable oil costs 750-800 drams. Cheaper vegetable oils
"Lusastgh" and "Gonche" today cost 750 drams instead of 510 drams.

The prices of oils "Avtab", "Gonche" also have had a rise. Butter
also rose in price.

It’s worth to mention that the mentioned consumer goods’ prices
have risen not by 10 or 20 drams, but by 100 or more drams. What’s
the reason?

Some of the citizens think that the rise in prices is connected with
the rise in pensions. Some of them don’t know the reason: "We don’t
know. Everything rose in price", said a saleswoman. Naturally, the
saleswoman couldn’t give reasons for the logic of the rise in prices.

One of the saleswomen informed that "Baltimor" company imports
the vegetable oil. We know also that one of the biggest importers
and producers of vegetable oil is "Salex Group" owned by Samvel
Aleksanian. "Marnik" company is one of the biggest sellers in the
market of butter.

We couldn’t find the owners of the above-mentioned companies to listen
to their comments on the rise in prices, but we’ll try to write their
explanations in our next issues.

Nevertheless, people are not interested in their even reasonable
explanations; they are concerned about their pockets, as the content
of their pockets will not suffice to live properly.

"Azg" daily tried to gain an explanation from the State Commission on
Economic Competition Protection on the rises in prices of vegetable
oil and butter, but the press secretary of the Commission informed
that they are now investigating the market to clarify is the rise in
prices connected with the results of abuse or impact of international
market. They promised to inform about the results after the end of
the investigation

What conclusion will the State Commission on Economic Competition
Protection come? – We’ll learn later, but at this moment the settlement
of the situation maybe needs an interference of high levels. Otherwise,
it’s not understandable were that rise in prices will lead the people.