PRICE OF BREAD MAY CONTINUE TO RISE

KarabakhOpen
21-10-2007 18:55:04

Yesterday Prime Minister Ara Harutiunyan held a consultation on
the price of bread and other products. Relevant officials and bread
producers participated in the consultation.

According to the prime minister, the government will make efforts to
relieve the consequences of the soaring price of bread. A commission
had been set up which released the results of the research, stating
that the price of 1 kg of bread went up by 20-40 drams due to the
rise of the price of flour.

It was mentioned that the prices grew proportionally. Already 50 kg
of flour costs 11,500 drams, and there is no guarantee that it will
not continue to go up. Meanwhile, it means that the situation will
not improve until the next harvest. "We cannot keep the price of
wheat low because the producers of wheat are also our citizens and
they also want to benefit.

Therefore, we need to seek for other mechanisms," Ara Harutiunyan said.

The prime minister proposed increasing the volume of production of
bread in big amounts enabling to save electric power and to cut the
mark-up. It may be of help.

According to bread producers, the mark-up of a small loaf is 10 drams,
a big loaf 20-30 drams. The prime minister instructed the owners of
shops that the mark-up of any kind of bread should not exceed 10 drams,
and the price should depend on the weight of the loaf.

The prime minister instructed the commission to study the daily amount
of bread produced in the capital and the regional centers.

The head of the government did not rule out subsidy as a means to
keep the price of bread low.