ArmInfo.Armenian Agriculture Minister Ignatiy Araqelyan calls not to panic because of rising prices for meat. "There are goods that can rise in price, there are those that are becoming cheaper: it is the market - it regulates these relations," the minister said on October 11 at the final press conference
According to him, the increase in prices is a boon, as it will entail an increase in investments in the sphere, and, in the end, the market itself will adjust prices. "It is wrong to draw conclusions on the results of the monthly price hike, all the more it is incorrect to say that the Ministry of Agriculture does not control the situation and does not have information." We all have our own, but we do not want to react to everything, "Arakelyan said.
It is noteworthy that, as the head of the Ministry of Agriculture stated, following the talks with the villagers, he realized that, despite the increase in prices for livestock feed, they did not raise the prices for beef and mutton. According to the minister, they can not be interested in this, as the villagers have a problem, both with the sale of the goods, and with the operative resolution of their own financial tasks. And here, as the head of the Ministry of Agriculture confessed, he sees concrete contradictions. "In this context, the increase in meat prices in Yerevan is incomprehensible for me - I can not explain the phenomenon in any way," Arakelyan said.
Nevertheless, according to the Minister, the increase in meat prices in Armenia is mainly due to the rise in price of pork on the international market. Lamb rose in price due to doubling of export volumes. This year, Armenia exported 12,000 sheep more than last year. The export was sent to Iraq, to be exact, to Iraqi Kurdistan, and Qatar. Beef, according to Arakelyan, has risen in price only by 100-150 drams. "This is not a rise in price, only the market has made its own adjustments," he said. In addition, according to Arakelyan, the year was unfavorable for field crop cultivation, which led to a rise in the price of fodder for livestock. However, as the minister noted, cattle farms are provided with the necessary amount of feed. "If there is a shortage, we are ready to organize its import," he added.
To note, over the past month in Armenia there is a rise in price of meat and butter. According to the National Statistical Service, the average price for 1 kg of beef in August in Yerevan was about 2100 drams, and lamb - about 2200 AMD. The increase in prices for pork was more tangible - 2,600 AMD. Thus, if the price of beef increased by about 200 AMD, the rise in prices for pork amounted to 800 AMD. Already in September, the price of one kilogram of beef reached 2,100 to 2,500 AMD, lamb - from 2,200 to 2,800 drams, pork from 2,600 to 3,500 AMD. The relevant authorities explain the increase in meat prices as an unfavorable year for agriculture, and for oil - by price fluctuations in the world market. Experts predict a further rise in price for essential goods.