Azerbaijan food prices surge amid allegations of cartel agreements

Consumers in Azerbaijan are reporting significant price increases for various food products. Notable examples include Lindt chocolate rising from 17 manat to 36 manat, and President butter increasing from 18 manat to 34 manat. Other price hikes have been observed in tea products from Azerçay and various grain products.

Eyyub Hüseynov, chairman of the Azad İstehlakçılar Birliyi, attributed these trends to cartel agreements within the small Azerbaijani market. He noted that such agreements allow certain actors to set prices across the market, often using multiple company names to avoid the appearance of a monopoly.

Hüseynov also highlighted a lack of regulatory mechanisms to control these price increases, noting that while global factors like fertilizer and agricultural costs play a role, the domestic market remains largely unregulated. He suggested that increasing local production could help stabilize prices, as seen in the cooking oil market.