Armenian population getting poorer
By Rashid Shirinov
Armenia is facing an unprecedented growth in prices of goods and services.
The price for gasoline, meat, air transportation and other services rose in August, according to media reports.
Armenian farmers also suffered from the rise in prices – the forage price tripled in August 2017 compared to last year. If last year farmers could buy a bale of hay for $1-2, now it costs $3-4.
Moreover, the price for pork jumped by 38 percent, for lamb – by 15 percent, and by 13 percent for oil. The number of cattle in the country decreased by 40,000 heads, and many experts suppose that this number will reach 100,000 by the end of the year.
Armenian officials, as always, will prepare dozens of excuses in order to explain their failures. However, the population does not believe them anymore. People are well aware that the same problem remains in the country for years –everything is monopolized in Armenia. The monopoly, of course, leads to the lack of competitiveness and to consequent rise in prices.
Meanwhile, wages and pensions of the population do not seem to rise in anytime soon. This is not provided in the draft state budget of Armenia for 2018, as Finance Minister Vardan Aramyan told journalists on September 28.
“We need to stabilize our economic opportunities and potential, thereby we do not take on new social responsibilities which can become a new burden for the state,” he said.
Aramyan added that if the government does not manage to provide 4-5 percent of GDP growth, new social obligations will have to be covered by attracting loans.
“It would be unfair to the population – to attract loans for the issue of higher pensions and salaries,” he said.
Thus, the prices in Armenia go up almost every month, but the salaries remain unchanged and even fall. Armenians risk turning into a population of beggars.
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Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov
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