After sitting on the chair of the Prime Minister, Nikol Pashinyan hastened to announce that there are no more monopolies in Armenia. However, exactly 8 years after that announcement, he had to admit that monopolies have not disappeared at all. Recently, it was justified that it took 8 years to be able to destroy the monopoly of the gasoline market. He was led to such a “genius” conclusion by the fact that the prices of gasoline in Armenia had decreased.

Experts will know how much the decrease in gasoline prices had to do with the destruction of monopolies in that market. Nikol Pashinyan just needed an opportunity to deceive the people with another “unprecedented achievements” and to attribute the decrease in gasoline prices to him.

Everyone can see what happened shortly after. It’s been quite some time, the price of gasoline has gone up again. The prices are even higher than before the last reduction.

“Breaking the monopolies” didn’t help at all either, because the recent drop in gasoline prices had nothing to do with breaking the monopolies.

Instead of destroying monopolies, today the authorities and their affiliated oligarchs are busy forming new monopolies and concentrating the markets in their hands.

The other day, the Minister of Economy made an encouraging note about what kind of large investment program is being implemented in the poultry production sector. This program, which seems welcome at first glance, is actually very worrying. It will lead to the absolute monopolization of the poultry market. And you know, in whose hands?

But before that, let’s quote the post first.

“I visited the Shirak poultry farm.” Deputy Minister Arman Khojoyan also participated in the visit.

The investments planned by the company reach 250 million dollars, of which more than 60 million dollars have already been made. The project will be implemented on an area of ​​420 ha in Shirak and Kotayk marzes. It is planned to create 2500 jobs, of which 750 will be in Shirak. 300 jobs have already been created in Shirak, 350 in Kotayk.

As a result of the implementation of the project, it is planned to increase the production volumes, ensuring the daily production of around 100 tons of poultry meat and 15-20 tons of pork. The produced poultry meat will satisfy the needs of Armenia, and a part of the product will be exported. The company already produces 400,000 eggs per day.

Accompanied by the owner of the company, Narek Nalbandyan, I toured the poultry factory, got acquainted with the conditions, installed equipment and the production process. During the tour, the plans for the development of the poultry farm and the upcoming tasks were presented,” the Minister of Economy wrote.

We are talking about the same Narek Nalbandian, who, enjoying the patronage of the government, managed to successfully settle in many businesses and became the owner of expensive objects and properties in recent years. This is the same Narek Nalbandyan, with some of whose businesses, according to information regularly circulating in the press, the name of Nikol Pashinyan’s ex-current wife is connected.

Narek Nalbandian owns many businesses, including the “Shirak” poultry factory. More than once, this company has been accused of unfair competition in the market and implementing unjustified price policy. At one time, there were reports that other companies went bankrupt and closed as a result of setting an unjustified low price for eggs by the “Shirak” poultry factory owned by Narek Nalbandyan.

Of course, the competition commission found the information about the implementation of dumping policy unfounded.

“Regarding the reduction of the price recorded in the chicken egg market, which is connected with the “Shirak” poultry factory, I inform you that its share in the market does not reach 10 percent. Therefore, the company, not having a dominant position in the market, could not violate the competition legislation and carry out dumping”, the chairman of the commission assessed the situation in the egg market, denying the accusations about the “Shirak” poultry factory. No wonder that unjustified lowering of the price of eggs caused some producers to go bankrupt.

Just 3-4 years ago, the company, which barely had a 10% share in the egg market, after the implementation of the plan announced by the Minister of Economy, will essentially monopolize the sector of poultry production, pushing out others.

It is not known through whom and with what funds Narek Nalbandian, the owner of the “Shirak” poultry factory, which he received as a government oligarch, implements his 250 million dollar project. Not every businessman can be lucky enough to attract such a large amount of money, even if it is in the form of loans. Although there is so much talk about the high liquidity of Armenian banks, the banks are not always ready to provide such large amounts of credit.

At one time, in order to obtain 150 million dollars of loan funds from Armenian banks for the purpose of the implementation of the Amulsar gold mine development project of the “Lidian Armenia” company, the provision of a government budget guarantee was required. Who is going to finance the 250 million dollar project of a newly-found businessman who made a name for himself in business shortly after the change of power? Or is the government’s finger mixed up here as well?

Let’s leave the answer to these questions pending and content ourselves with quoting a part of the status left by one of the Facebook users under the post of the Minister of Economy.

“Another photo “show” and the magic of numbers, behind which is hidden the convergence of power and the new oligarchy. From the point of view of state interest, this is not an economic success, but a classic example of monopolization and risk concentration.

Monopolization under the guise of “investment”. An investment of 250 million dollars in the hands of one person means that tomorrow one company will dictate the market prices of poultry and eggs. This is not a free market, but a dependence of food security on one oligarchic entity. The real state interest requires the development of thousands of small and medium farmers, not the creation of greenhouse conditions for one privileged person, wrote the user responding to the Minister of Economy.

HAKOB KOCHARYAN

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