Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan visited the GUM market. He spoke to salespeople about what problems they face, what conditions they live in, and how much they sell their products for.
Pashinyan asked one of the salespeople if tomatoes and cucumbers are more expensive, and overall what has gotten more expensive. The salesperson said, “Watermelons got expensive.” The prime minister responded, “It’s expensive now too. 150 dram for a watermelon is expensive this season.”
The salesperson said that production is going out of season and that people are waiting for everything to get cheaper in September. However, the season for things to get cheap has already passed, as it was very hot this year. Pashinyan didn’t agree. He said that tomatoes are still in season in September, and they should get cheaper. The salesperson responded, “The heat burned everything. The season ended one month early.” The prime minister said that that’s always the case with cucumbers. Sales stop for some time in July, and then there are cheap cucumbers in September. “But it got very expensive this year.”
It’s important to note that salespeople offered Pashinyan fruit, and the prime minister continued his visit while eating. When he finished, he tried to find a trash can so he could throw away the seeds. One of the salespeople held out her hand so that Pashinyan could give the seed to her to throw away, but Pashinyan refused. “I’ll throw it away.” The woman told the prime minister, “Thank you for visiting us.” Pashinyan joked, “Sales have gotten worse, why are you thankful?”
Hripsime Jebejyan
