Wednesday, August 7 2019 13:44

ArmInfo.The figures presented by the Prime Minister on the socio-economic development of Armenia are falsified. Former Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia and former MP of the Armenian Parliament Hrant Bagratyan, wrote about  this on his Facebook page.

According to him, official data on the socio-economic development of  the country in the first half of 2019 are of concern. So, according  to Bagratyan, GDP growth amounted to 6.5%, which is not a stable  indicator, since compared to April and May, when certain sectors  showed positive dynamics, this time all areas are included in the  statistics. There are no figures indicating an increase of 9.7%,  9.2%, 7.1%, etc. The indicator for the half year is 6.5%. Meanwhile,  according to the former prime minister, economic policy has remained  the same as in the past, and is based on the expansion of  consumption. This is not only not an economic revolution, but  politics, and no different from the policies of the previous  authorities. "The economic revolution, despite the fact that I do not  like this phrase, would be more real if the investment development  model that I proposed in my past status were applied. At first  glance, it might seem that the 6.5% indicator is not bad. But when  you pay attention to the quality of growth, disappointment starts to  haunt me. Firstly, in 2018, economic growth in Armenia amounted to  8.7% in comparison with the same period in 2019. Then it was said  that, they say, look what else will happen. Pashinyan criticized the  structure of the economy, claiming that it's not an economy. A year  has passed, and games with a win, various Vivaro, Toto, as well as  car trading continue to remain the main generator of growth. Due to  their 30% growth, a 6.5% GDP growth was ensured Secondly, real GDP  growth is 4.5%, "said the ex-prime minister.

Hrant Bagratyan believes that one cannot rely solely on the gaming  business and car trading, as these sources are speculative in nature  and cannot become the basis for the upcoming GDP growth. In addition,  these areas are temporary, and the resources spent on such growth are  a loss to the structure of the economy. "Of course, there is some  optimism. For example, the processing sector has shown growth of  8.7%, but the pace of development of priority areas is so slow that  they still lead to negative dynamics in the structure of the  economy," Hrant Bagratyan emphasizes.

He is also doubtful about macroeconomic indicators, which gives  reason to accuse the National Statistical Committee of falsifying  figures. For example, despite economic growth, in the first quarter  of 2019, the freight transportation sector showed an increase of  42.5% compared to the same period in 2018. In the construction  sector, growth was at 4.7%, while there was no increase in the  production of cement and building materials needed for concrete  production. In the agricultural sector, there has been a decline in  production volumes by 7.4%. "It is necessary to come to and restore  the Ministry of Agriculture. Social indicators testify to the  fabulous assertions about " miraculous "economic growth. So, in the  first year, the number of unemployed increased by 16 thousand and  amounted to 253.6 thousand. The employment rate decreased from 44% to  43.8%, and unemployment rose from 21% to 21.9%. The Prime Minister's  words about opening jobs are not true, and new ones are opened, but  they closed even faster. Crime has risen sharply. The number of  births has decreased, and deaths increased. As a result, the  population has declined.  Exact figures for emigration, as before,  are no longer published. However, according to Russian sources,  immigration from Armenia increased by 2.5 fold", Hrant Bagratyan  stated.

He also noted that the average monthly nominal wage increased by  5.6%, and prices rose by 2%.  "However, a deeper analysis, which is  not optimistic, indicates that food and non-alcoholic beverages  prices rose by 3%. Yes, and there are questions regarding wage  savings, they should not be included in the GDP growth of 5.6 %. At  the moment, these are costs, not revenues. After 45 years it will be  possible to include as income. Exports fell by 0.5%, at current  dollar prices. Unfortunately, this figure is not in comparable  prices, "the former prime minister said, adding that the conflict  between the US and China has entered a new phase, which may lead to a  new, much stronger economic crisis in the world