Minister of Agriculture of Armenia calls not to panic because of rising prices for meat

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.