ArmInfo. Yes, it is possible to contain inflation, it can be corrected in a very short time - within one month, the second President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan is convinced.
"In a country where 25-30% of the population is engaged in agriculture, not having a minister of agriculture is simply ridiculous. There is no separate policy-making body in this area. It is necessary to restore this Ministry, " Kocharyan said at a meeting with his supporters yesterday.
At the same time, he considers it ungrateful to take offense at his own people. "If you face a problem, you should first ask yourself a question. I have to come to solve people's problems, to raise their standard of living. If we do not harm ourselves, it will be difficult to harm someone, " he concluded.
It should be noted that in the consumer market of Armenia in 2020, inflation was higher - 3.7%, than in 2019 - 0.7%. This was largely caused by an increase in the prices of food products (including alcohol and cigarettes) by 5.5% (against 0.2% in 2019), and non - food products-by 3.4% (against 1.4% in 2019), with an increase in tariffs for services by 1.6% (against 1.1% in 2019). According to the RA Statistical Committee, the average monthly increase in consumer prices in January-December 2020 was 0.3%, against an increase of 0.1% in 2019.
In the annual context (January-December 2020 to January-December 2019), the consumer market also recorded inflation-1.2% (against inflation of 1.4% a year ago), which was due to an increase in the price of food products by 1.2% (against an increase of 2.1% a year earlier), non - food products-by 1% (against an increase of 1.5% a year earlier) and an increase in tariffs for services by 1.4% (against an increase of 0.5% a year earlier).
At the same time, the consumer market of Armenia in the first quarter of 2021 recorded inflation of 3.8% against last year's 1.7%. In the first quarter of this year, inflation was mainly triggered by a rise in the price of food products by 6% and non-food products by 4.3%, with an increase in tariffs for services by 0.9%. According to the Statistical Committee of the Republic of Armenia, only in March this year, inflation was 1% (against the inflation rate of 0.5% a year earlier in the same month). In particular, the March inflation was triggered by a rise in the price of non-food products by 1.6% and food products by 1%, with an increase in tariffs for services by 0.5%. In Yerevan, consumer prices increased by 1.1% in March, against a 0.6% increase in March 2020.
In the first quarter of 2021, compared to the same period in 2020, inflation was recorded at 5.2%, against a deflationary 0.1% a year earlier. Moreover, food products rose in price by 7.4% year-on-year, non-food products by 6.9%, with an increase in tariffs for services by 1.7%.
In March 2021 to March 2020, inflation was recorded at 5.8% (against deflation of 0.1% in March 2020 to March 2019), provoked by an increase in the price of food products by 7.6%, non-food products by 8.4% and an increase in tariffs for services by 2.2%.
