YEREVAN. - The Armenian State Commission for the Protection of Economic Competition (ASCPEC) took one of the country’s largest egg production companies “out of the game” by not recognizing it as a dominant player, Lusakert Poultry Farm Company’s former director Manase Yepremyan stated on Wednesday.    

To note, on March 30 ASCPEC had recognized the Company as abuser of its dominant position and fined it 100 million drams (US$ 261,240).  

And the Commission’s decision was conditioned on the following: In late December 2010, when there was a shortage of eggs and their prices rose abruptly in Armenia, the egg producers had stored large quantities of eggs, whose majority belonged to the Lusakert Poultry Farm.  

Yepremyan also informed that they appealed this fine to the court.

According to ASCPEC’s official website, four companies together make up 86 percent of Armenia’s total egg market, and the Commission’s Press Secretary Gayane Sahakyan told Armenian News-NEWS.am that the Lusakert Company always had a dominant place. 

Sahakyan also stated that the Company is artificially delaying the court proceedings for appealing the 100-million-dram fine. But the Court of Appeals approved ASCPEC’s another fine—this time for 5 million drams ($13,060)—issued for another breach of the law.