Friday, April 12 2019 16:27

ArmInfo.I propose to raise the duty on the import of cement in Armenia to 22.000 drams per ton. Minister of Economic Development and Investments Tigran Khachatryan stated this on April 12 at the National Assembly of Armenia at the  meeting of the commission on economic issues.

At the meeting, the MPs discussed the draft law on amending the Law  on State Duty and on introducing amendments to the Law on the  Notification regarding the implementation of activities. The minister  noted that today there is more local cement on the Armenian cement  market. However, Armenian cement is more expensive than Iranian. "I  believe that we need to take this step to ensure the competitiveness  of the market.  Thus, we can support local producers and prevent the  closure of a number of enterprises, the latter need the support of  the state," the minister stressed.

The minister also noted that in Georgia, Iran and a number of other  countries, cement production is cheaper, since in these countries the  cost of purchased gas is low, gas, in turn, is important for the  production of these products.  In his turn, Hayk Sargsyan, MP from  the "My Step" bloc, replied that the protectionism policy in the  country will in no way promote competition in Armenia. He said that  it is better to let 400 people lose their jobs, but growth in the  construction sector will be ensured in the country. "The policy of  protectionism on this issue and in a number of other areas will lead  to a drop in the quality and competitiveness of local cement, since  entrepreneurs and manufacturers will not be interested in periodic  technical renewal of their production," said Sargsyan. According to  the latter, will lead to abuse by manufacturers. This statement  brought out of itself MP from the Prosperous Armenia Party Arthur  Dallakyan, who said, that we need to think about opening new jobs,  and not about closing the existing ones. Dallakyan said that every  working person has a family and it's impossible to treat such  important issues like that. "This is a wrong approach, we should  think about the future of our fellow citizens," the MP concluded.