YEREVAN, JANUARY 8, NOYAN TAPAN. 0.8% growth of food prices was recorded in Armenia in December on November 2008, which was mostly due to 0.1-18.1% growth of prices in 8 out of the 13 food commodity groups under observation. According to the RA National Statistical Service, prices in the commodity group of potato and vegetales increased by 18.1% in December on November 2008 and fell by 11.9% in December 2008 on December 2007. There was a growth in prices of tomato (1.9fold), cucumber (41.5%), beet (12.7%), carrot (8.1%), cauliflower (7.9%) and onion (4.7%) in December on November 2008. Potato and garlic prices fell by 4.1% and 0.2% respectively in the indicated period. The price growth in the fruit commodity group made 13.1% in December on November 2008. There was a growth in prices of apple (5%), pear (6.8%), pomegranate (16.8%), red pulp Malta orange (18%), and grapes (20%), while prices of orange, tangerine and lemon fell by 11.2-27.8% in the indicated period. The average republican price of eggs increased by 2.4% in December on November 2008. Prices of fish grew by 1.1% in the same period. Prices of meat products grew by 0.1% in December on November 2008 and by 9.1% in December 2008 on December 2007. Pork prices grew by 4.5%, while mutton and beef prices fell by 1.7% and 1.2% respectively in December on November 2008. Prices of alcoholic drinks, cigarettes, confectionery, dairy products, coffee, tea and cocoa increased by 0.1-0.7% in December on November 2008. Prices of soft drinks remained unchanged as compared with the previous month. 16.9% price growth in the commodity group of bread products in January-October 2008 was followed by a 7.7% price fall, with prices falling by 3.5% in December on November, which was mainly conditioned by a fall in prices of flour (6.1%), grain (4.4%) and high-quality bread (4%). Prices of rice, some types of bread, macaroni, buckwheat, lavash and cracked wheat fell by 0.2-2.2% in the indicated period. 14.8% fall in flour prices was recorded in Armenia in July-December 2008 following 20.4% growth in flour prices in January-June 2008. 15% growth of bread prices in January-September 2008 was followed by 8.5% fall in bread prices in October-December 2008. Prices in the commodity group of butter and vegetable oil fell by 1% in December on November 2008, which was mostly due to a fall in prices of sunflower oil (2.5%) and butter (1.2%). Prices of melted butter and margarine grew by 0.2-1.1%, while prices of granulated sugar and other foodstuffs fell by 0.2% in the indicated period.

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