Shaboyan assures that there are no barriers to entry into the banana market
State Commission for the Protection of Economic Competition of Republic of Armenia gives enough attention to banana’s market. Today, after the RA government session, Artak Shaboyan, head of the SCPEC, told journalist that they have conducted several studies and there are also ongoing studies on this topic.
“I can only state that there are no barriers to entry into the market and there are no limits on the competition. If there are companies, which can import banana from different countries for cheaper prices, they can do that”,- said Artak Shaboyan.
When journalists noted that banana import is connected to the name of Mihran Poghosyan, head of the Compulsory Enforcement Service, Shaboyan stated that he is not interested in names of the owners of the importing companies.
“I cannot say who are the owners of the companies, since we are working only with the companies. Today, “ Catherine” group imports huge amounts of goods. I assure you, that if there are companies, which can import banana from different countries for cheaper prices, they can do that. If they have problems with that ,they can turn to our organization”,- said Shaboyan.
When journalist said that since no other company has entered this market until now, the price for banana is several times higher in Armenia than in Russia, Shaboyan disagreed with that statement.
«You cannot make such generalizations. Banana is a seasonal fruit, and its price may be fluctuated throughout the year. You must be careful when comparing prices. You should take into account from which country they import banana, whether it is retail or wholesale market, etc.”, - said Artak Shaboyan.