AZE.US
Prices for several everyday food products have risen in Azerbaijani supermarkets, with shoppers and sellers pointing to higher costs for butter, dairy products, sweets, fruit, vegetables and sausage.
AZE.US reports that the increase is being felt most clearly in goods bought almost every day. Shoppers say prices are not always rising in one dramatic jump. Instead, they move up gradually, sometimes over just a few weeks.
One customer said tea that recently cost 2.40 manats (about $1.41) was selling for 2.80 manats (about $1.65) a month later.
Others said butter, sugar, milk, yogurt, fruit and vegetables had become noticeably more expensive since the start of the year. Some families now order dairy products from the regions, where prices are said to be lower than in Baku supermarkets.
Shopkeepers also confirmed the increase.
One seller said butter that had been sold for 5.30 manats (about $3.12) rose to 6.30 manats (about $3.71). A two-liter bottle of vegetable oil that previously cost about 10 manats (about $5.88) is now selling for 12-13 manats (about $7.06-$7.65).
The price of one kilogram of clarified butter has reached 23 manats (about $13.53) in some stores.
Sweets and candies have also gone up. Products that were recently sold at 15 manats (about $8.82) per kilogram are now priced at 16-17 manats (about $9.41-$10.00).
Sausage prices have increased as well. Sellers said products bought at 15 manats per kilogram were later priced at around 17 manats.
Even smaller items have become more expensive. Bottled water that cost 1.20 manats (about $0.71) is now selling for 1.30 manats (about $0.76). Ice cream prices have risen by 50-60 qapiks (about $0.29-$0.35) compared with last year, and by up to 1 manat (about $0.59) for some products.
Economist Khalid Karimli said Azerbaijan’s average annual inflation is roughly 5.5-5.6%, but food prices are rising faster than the overall inflation rate.
He said food inflation of about 6-7% is pushing the broader inflation figure higher. The reasons, according to Karimli, are both domestic and external.
One major factor is import pressure. Karimli said the import price index for agricultural products exceeded 26% last year, meaning inflation in countries that supply Azerbaijan is being passed on to the domestic market.
Still, he said some relief may come in the months ahead. Global commodity markets showed a decline in prices for vegetable oils and butter in May, and that trend could gradually affect import prices in Azerbaijan.
Karimli said prices for butter and vegetable oils in Azerbaijan rose by 0.3% over the past month, while the annual increase for that product group stood at 6.2%.
For shoppers, however, the issue is already visible at the checkout. Even when official inflation looks moderate, the everyday food basket is becoming more expensive.
AZE.US