AZE.US
Fish imported into Azerbaijan at declared prices as low as 2 manats per kilogram is reaching retail shelves in Baku at 30 to 35 manats, highlighting the wide gap between customs paperwork and the price consumers actually pay.
The discussion centers on freshwater fish and sturgeon products imported in January and February.
While some shipments from Russia were declared at about 2 manats per kilogram, experts say that figure reflects only the invoice price of the product and not the full cost of bringing it to market.
They say the customs declaration does not include a range of additional expenses, including transportation, refrigerated storage, warehouse handling, wholesale distribution, and retail markups. Fish products require cold-chain storage, which makes handling costs higher than for ordinary goods.
Another factor is the structure of the supply chain. The company importing the fish is usually not the same business selling it to the final customer. By the time the product passes through warehouses, wholesalers, and retailers, the price has risen at several stages.
Sellers also point to losses during cleaning and cutting. Whole fish is often sold in portions rather than as a complete product, while the head, tail, fins, and other parts are not always included in the final sale.
According to traders, that process can reduce usable weight by 25% to 35%, increasing the cost of the remaining product.
Some vendors say fish bought at around 20 to 25 manats wholesale may need to be sold at 30 to 35 manats in retail to cover costs.
The result is that a fish with a customs invoice price of 2 manats per kilogram can still appear on the market at many times that level once storage, distribution, intermediary margins, and cleaning losses are added in.
AZE.US