Decline in domestic purchasing power observed in Armenia, K Chilingaryan claims
“As predicted, the main pick up in prices was observed for fruits and vegetables, yet after the holidays the prices dropped sharply,” Chairman of the Consumers Consultation Centre Karen Chilingaryan told reporters on Tuesday.
“The price fluctuations for tangerine, orange, banana, pineapple have become common and are set by the sellers. The domestic purchasing power in Armenia has declined as compared with previous years, which is conditioned with economic problems. Although there were lines in the supermarkets on the eve of the holidays, the situation in ordinary stores remained the same as in other days throughout the year,” Chilingaryan said.
In his words, the sellers had nothing to do than decrease the prices to avoid the goods spoiling
“We lack a body tasked for regulating the market relations. Economic entities act as regulators with their posture in the market. The market appears to be complex to oversight which is also explained by our culture,” said the speaker.
Chilngiryan next spoke of the complaints about additional duties levied at the republic’s customs points. “How could it happen to have the same prices for bananas imported from Ecuador and tangerine brought from a neighboring state,” asked the expert.
As to the changes in gas and electricity prices, Chilingaryan pointed out the tendency of drastic hike in prices common in Armenia, while the decrease is registered slightly and slowly with no considerable effect on the consumers.