STATE COMMISSION ON ECONOMIC COMPETITION PROTECTION INITIATES PROCEEDINGS IN AVIATION FUEL, FLOUR AND RICE MARKETS
Noyan Tapan
Se p 17, 2008
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 17, NOYAN TAPAN. At the September 17 sitting, the
RA State Commission on Protection of Economic Competition initiated
proceedings in the aviation fuel, flour and rice markets based on the
possible facts of keeping the pices unreasonably high or raising them.
According to monitoring of the commission’s staff, the dynamics of
the sale prices of wheat flour are not in line with the dynamics
of prices in international market. Salex Group and Manana Grain
companies have a dominating position in the market. The Commission
registered facts of anticompetition agreement in the flour market on
July 22 during a discussion with the sector’s economic entities. At
that time the Commission warned the economic entities not to reach
anticompetition agreements and established a period for eliminating
the possible violations.
As a result of the military operations launched in Georgia on August 8,
a force majeure situation formed for Armenia’a market and there were
problems with transportation of goods to Armenia. Based on this, the
Commission postponed its decision on initiating proceedings until the
situation is stabilized, however, by preliminary estimates, the fall
of prices in Armenian market is not adequate to the fall of flour
prices in international market.
According to the Commission’s press service, the monitoring revealed
the raising of prices in the rice market as well. Kari Tov and
Mokonat companies have a dominating position: they occupy 59.6%
of the rice market. However, taking into account the fact that the
growth of rice prices in Armenian market has widespread character,
the Commission’s proceedings will include studies of the behavior of
the economic entities occupying at least 90% of the market.
The Commission also decided to initiate proceedings for examination
of prices in the aviation fuel market because there was a decline in
aviation fuel prices in international market.