200-300 GRAMS IN EACH KILOGRAM

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[03:16 pm] 10 January, 2008

Abgar Yeghoyan, chairman of "Consumers’ Rights Protection" NGO
announced today that one would hardly meet scales that weighted
correctly in the trade centers in Armenia. Majority of consumers are
deceived about 200-300 grams in each kilo. According to him, this is
one of the spread violations in the trade centers. "It has a widely
expended phenomenon and negatively influences on the establishment
of fair economic competition in the country", noted Abgar Yeghoyan.

Chairman of "Consumers’ Rights Protection" NGO mentioned that according
to the RA Law on "Securing unity measurements" once a year scales in
the trade enters should be checked in the Republic, while according
to "2007 facts of the RA National Institute of Metrology, about 6000
scales of 25 000 have been checked in the Republic". Those who use
unchecked scales, should be fined with 50000-100 000 drams.

Abgar Yeghoyan ensures that if scales worked correctly, New Year rise
in prices would be 15-20 percent. According to him, index of checked
scales could be violated when the conditions and rules of the usage
of scales were altered.

Reflecting on the hand scales used in the street trade, Mr Yeghoyan
mentioned that might deceive for 300-500 grams. "Scales used in the
streets are not checked and they show lower weight than other scales
do. Those hand scales are the property of physical individuals, who are
not registered as enterprisers, thus, the law does not refer to them".

"Consumers’ Rights Protection" NGO has made a number of proposals
to the RA Ministry of Trade and Economic Development to settle these
problems. "We offer to use checking scales in the trade centers, to
take stricter measures of punishment in case violations", informed
Abgar Yeghoyan.