The economic week started with the price shift of gasoline and diesel fuel. According to the already formed tradition it is expected that this fact will automatically raise the price of other products by 10%. Inflation is threatening to become the only topic for the journalists, who write about the country’s economy. There are two reasons for that. First it has become a daily process in our country. Secondly the inflation has started to partly interest our government. A part of them threatens the ones, who raise the prices in order to look good in the eyes of people. That is pointless and groundless threat. The other part of them are trying to find reasons for the inflation. Both of them are equally boring because they repeat the same thing over and over again. In the opinion of our statesmen the rising prices in the consumption market are explained by external reasons. But how could our country, which provides an annual dual-digit economic growth, not get so much delved in world economic processes? Therefore, if some price of some good is being risen in the European or American stock markets in the morning that phenomenon is going to be reflect in Armenia by noon. The impression is that our businessmen are impatiently waiting for world prices to go up. The media is also playing an important role in this process by eloquently elucidating this information. We have witnessed the best example this week. We haven’t even managed to digest the speculative game of the sugar price rise when the second news followed – increase in the price of oil. The gasoline price was increased in all Armenia’s gas stations – from Internal Charbakh gas stations to rural communities. How can this be possible? Are our chinovniks not interested in that? They don’t even know that the oil price rise in international stock markets is reflected on consumers only after two or three months and not immediately. Therefore no country would ever let anyone take a benefit from this process and receive excessive incomes. But this fact doesn’t work in case of Armenia. During the analysis of the sugar price in Armenia the Economic Competition Commission of RA has announced that the country has a 6-month reserve of sugar. Therefore the price of this product won’t rise in the coming year. But it seems that we don’t have any reserves for oil. Because starting from last Tuesday gasoline had been sold at increased price in Armenia unlike other countries, where there are reserves. Everyone knows that only a few companies import fuel to Armenia. Even the government perfectly knows that. Therefore in the internal market the prices are never stipulated by international markets. During the last stage of price shift butter price has also shifted up. A very strange environment is formed here. Only the price of unpacked butter was raised. One kilo is sold at 2200-2500 AMD. But the price of the small packed butter pieces remains the same. As a result we have a very strange thing. The butter, which has better quality and is imported from abroad is sold at a cheaper price than the locally produced one. It is obvious that this is the result of competition. Various businessmen import butter in packs. Now the kilogram butter importation has appeared in the competition field. According to the logic of market economy it should receive certain harms and be kicked out from the sector. However, vice versa will happen in Armenia. They will create undefeatable obstacles for petty businessmen so that they also raise the price of packed butter. Regardless of the up or down shift of international prices they shift in our country in accordance with our mentality. We don’t know why but this mentality only serves the needs of the government and oligarchs.
