Price stability in the new year due to the November-fulfillment "inflation plan"

Even the real sector of the economy of Azerbaijan is totally and exclusively controlled. In December 2012, as in 2011, in Baku and the provinces, food prices increased slightly (an average of 0.2%).

Note that in addition to vegetables (exception - potatoes), a small fraction of apples and citrus fruits, poultry and its derivatives, as well as fresh fish, almost all other edible products were imports.

On New Year's Eve even cakes ($ 12-20 per kg) and alcoholic beverages did not become more expensive, with a significant expansion of the range. Stable were the prices and assortment of meat and dairy products, not to mention vegetables, fish and baked goods.

According to experts, this stability is caused by the November "over-fulfillment of inflation plan" - then (data from the Center for Economic Research) the average increase in food prices was 2.7%.

In the last days of December, on the eve of the New Year there was growth in the prices of some "overseas" and local "elite" (sturgeon, caviar) products. So, fruits and dried fruits, which are always in demand for holidays, rose by 12%, and the said fish – by 10%. Immediately after the holidays, prices stabilized. For some types of products there is a decrease in prices. E.g. cabbages fell by 20% and beets, carrots, bananas and pineapples fell by 10%.

If economists usually talked about monopoly and weak government control over the consumer market, now they note the total control of the monopoly not by the government, but by senior government officials. Usually in these days there is a jump in wealth (people want to cover their festive table "no worse than others"), which may result in higher prices arranged by a group of profiteers. This year was no exception.

According to shop owners and sellers of agricultural market, compared to the previous year, the purchasing power increased slightly, and also increased the illegal exactions by the tax authorities and officials at the local level. Add to this the massive raids in the guise of compliance with national standards. The work of shops selling expired and "informal" products is in the normal mode – with the evidence of the standardization agencies.

According to experts, up to the threshold of Novruz (March 20-21), prices in the primary (excluding force majeure) will remain consistently high.

A kilogram of beef in Baku is the average $ 11, lamb - $ 12.5 - 13, chicken - $ 3.5 - 5, chicken giblets - $ 3 - 3.5, and fresh fish (except beluga and sturgeon that cost $ 35 – 60 a kilo), depending on the size, the skeleton type and the popularity - $ 4 - 9.

On the shelves, 75% of the butter is a fake, which costs $ 4.5 - 6, and the price of a small amount of natural butter varies from $ 10 to $15, which is why consumers turn to buying cottage butter that costs $ 10. Local vegetable oil costs $ 3, imported - $4 - 4.5, and sour cream - $ 4 - 5.

The most significant variation in prices is for flour products (range of pasta and noodles) - Turkish products cost $ 1.6, local, Iranian and Russian ones cost $ 2 - 2.5, Italian and other western ones cost $ 3 - 4, and first grade flour costs $ 0.55.

A dozen eggs cost $ 1.3 - 1.5, milk and gatyg (sour yogurt) and local cheese cost $ 4 - 6.5, imported ones - $ 9, local pastry - $ 2.6 - 3, and imported pastry - $ 3.5 - 5. Cereals rose long before the New Year - buckwheat is $ 2 – 3, depending on production, semolina and lentils are slightly cheaper, and rice is $ 1.5 - 7 depending on the provider and popularity.

Potatoes from Russia, Belarus, Iran, Turkey and Pakistan are sold under the guise of local products at a price of $ 0.65 -1.1, onions are $ 0.5 - 0.8, tomatoes and cucumbers (greenhouse) are sold at $ 2.5 and 1.5 respectively. Apples cost $ 0.7 - 3.5, cabbages cost $ 0.4 - 0.7, and a bunch of greens costs $ 0.2 - 0.4. -17D-