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“In January 2017 2.6 percent inflation was registered in Armenia’s consumer market,” Adviser to the President of Armenia’s National Statistical Service Gurgen Martirosyan noted during today’s press conference, Panorama.am reports.
“The prices of the food products saw significant increase totaling to 7.4 percent and the prices of the non-food products fell by 0.6 percent,” he noted.

In the words of Martirosyan inflation making up from 0.1 to 49 percent was recorded in 8 out of 13 commodity groups. “The highest inflation was registered in the fruit commodity group_ 10.9 percent whereas in the vegetable-potato commodity group inflation made up 49 percent,” he added.

In case inflation had not been registered in these two commodity groups 0.3 percent deflation would have been registered in Armenia’s consumer market in January 2017 to compare with December of the previous year.

Comparing the Januaries of 2016 and 2016 the expert specified that the inflation in the fruit commodity group totaled to 19.4 percent. “In this field the prices of the local fruit have been increased, namely the apple price increased by 47 percent, the price of the pear saw 20 percent rise and the grape price increased by 23 percent. 10.6 percent inflation was registered in the vegetable-potato commodity group,” he said.

In the words of the Chairman of the Consumers Consulting Centre NGO Karen Chilingaryan the price increase ahead of the holidays has become a tradition in Armenia. “Not only the prices of the local fruit but the exotic fruit costs increase ahead of the holidays. The banana price increased up to 1200 AMD ahead of the New Year, however currently banana costs 600-650 AMD,” he said.

As for the announced sales Chilingaryan noted that the big sales in the shoe and cloth stores not always turn to be true. “A few years ago the situation was terrible: the stores announced sales up to 50-70 % and when you visited the markets you could observe slight sales only in one product. This situation was stabilised somehow and now we do not observe such obvious fraud cases. However certain issues are still observed. For instance the markets announce 20-30 percent sales which turns out to be untrue,” he added.

Adviser to the President of Armenia’s National Statistical Service added that such sales are announced when the goods are out of season and the stores simply want to get rid of them quickly.