Armenian Egg Shortage Because of Over-Purchasing or Mismanagement?

In 2010, Manase Yepremyan said if the Armenian public doesn’t contain its passion for eggs, there will be imports into Armenia in December and in large quantities. And so it came to be, said the Lusakert Pedigree Poultry Plant LLC Executive Director himself at a press conference in Yerevan today.

“Whatever promises I made, I kept them religiously. I promised in the name of Lusakert Pedigree Poultry and not from the other producers,” he said. Recall that Yepremyan earlier had said that on the threshold of the New Year, the egg market would be stable. However, residents of Armenia found that just before the new year, there was an extreme shortage of eggs in the market, resulting in whatever eggs were lft being sold at double and triple the regular price.

According to Yepremyan, Lusakert eggs were being sold at 50–60 drams each (the average price of eggs), and in the case of a discount, at 45 drams each. Asked by journalists where and during which days eggs at the price were being sold, the poultry plant ED said Yerevan City supermarket from Dec. 20–22, 2010.

He added that people were subject to “eggs agiotage” (i.e. turmoil, disarray) and began to purchase an overabundance of eggs. Asked why Armenians became such “egg-lovers” over a single night, Yepremyan said, he, in fact, noticed an increase in demand for eggs since mid-October of last year.

“The average annual consumption of 210 eggs rose to 284 eggs per person this year. That is excessive growth,” he said.

If things continue this way, said the Lusakert director, importing will become urgent. Yepremyan added that last year, eggs were imported from Ukraine and Iran, in two large batches, which were purchased at 52–54 drams per egg and sold for 58 drams.

Another participant in today’s press conference, Union of Consumers NGO President Armen Poghosyan noticed that there’s nothing easier than producing eggs and “It’s a shame to import another country’s eggs,” meaning Armenia’s producers should be able to meet the demand of its residents as they’ve done in previous years.

“It’s impossible for there to be a shortage of eggs or cheese. That is the result of mismanagement,” stressed Poghosyan, adding that chickens don’t ask when the new year is coming.