ArmInfo. In Armenia, essential goods have risen in price by 20% and more. Head of the Alternative Research Center, PhD in economics Tatul Manaseryan said in an interview with journalists, presenting the calculations of the Center.
"We should be honest and publish this data. Separately by groups: bread and bakery products, milk and dairy products, meat and products from them, etc. I assure you that the government does not own this data. And the prices formed in Armenia are also left without attention, both by the Committee for the Protection of Economic Competition and the Ministry of Economy", the expert said.
Recalling that the state budget has a target inflation rate of 4% (+/- 1.5), Manaseryan stressed that this threshold has already been passed, and from the point of view of economic security, the threat is obvious.
In addition, he indicated that the inflation rate published by the Statistical Committee is an average of about 500 commodity items, which creates a false impression of real inflation in the country.
It should be noted that according to the RA Statistical Committee, y-o-y inflation in July 2022 increased to 9.3% (from 8.2% a year earlier), due to an increase in prices for food products by 12.9% and non-food products by 8.2%, with an increase in tariffs for services by 5.7%. In particular, the prices of the following food products have increased in a y-o-y terms: fruit - by 21.7%, lentils - by 31.8%, buckwheat - by 28.6%, pasta - by 31.3%, cheeses - by 26, 2%, bread - by 21.2%, beef - by 20%, flour - by 18% and rice - by 12.7%; and among non-food products, diesel fuel has risen in price most significantly - by 43.2% (and - by 32.8%in 7 months alone).
As for tariffs for services, a tangible y-o-y growth was recorded in the areas of comprehensive services for recreation - by 24.9%, the organization of sports and entertainment events - by 20.5% and in the field of transport - by 12.9%. In January-July 2022, inflation on the consumer market increased to 4.9% (from 3.3% a year earlier), which was provoked by a rise in prices for food products by 4.7%, non-food products - by 5.1% and an increase in tariffs for services by 4.9%. And inflation in the consumer market compared to January-July 2021 amounted to 8.3% (against inflationary 6.1% per annum earlier), which was facilitated by an almost identical rise in prices for food and non-food products - by 13.1% and 6.4% respectively, and an increase tariffs for services by 3.9%.
