Azerbaijan, Ganja / Trend corr. V.Mammadov, S.Babayeva / The price for chicken rose by 15 to 17% and was AZN 3.5 per 1kg in the second half of September in Ganja. The price of an egg increased by 70% and was AZN 0.17. Sellers explained increase by regular agricultural fairs in Ganja.
There are other reasons for the rise in price of chickens, Gubad Ibadoglu, the head of the Economic Research Centre, said.
The Republic Poultry Society is a poultry farm which is evidence of the presence of a monopoly in the country. Doubling the price of chicken affects the market, Ibadoglu said.
The Republic Poultry Society unites 29 enterprises, including Mardakan Broyler, Siyazan Broyler, Devechi Broyler, Zira Broyler, Arco Co, Imishli Broyler and Shamkir Broyler. Twenty-eight of them are poultry farms and one is a distributor of veterinary drugs.
Aydin Valiyev, the head of the Republic Poultry Society, said on 18 September that we should expect a rise in the price of chicken taking into consideration a rise in the price of feed, by approximately 90% which Azerbaijan purchases from abroad, mainly from Russia, Turkey and Iran.
"Prices increases made up 50% compared to the same period in 2006," Valiyev said.
Earlier the Republic Poultry Society of Azerbaijan appealed to the Government to cancel GDP for importing feed. The Cabinet of Ministers has not announced a final decision.
"Most small poultry farms were closed, but the biggest ones are on the verge of collapse. Cancellation of GDP is the only way to escape the rise in price of local chicken," Valiyev believes.
Some 15,000 or 20,000 people are engaged in farming in Azerbaijan.