The State Commission for the Protection of Economic Competition of Armenia (SCPEC) has initiated administrative litigation against Lusakert Pedigree Poultry Plant, stemming from last December's egg shortage and extreme price hike.

Armenia Now reports that, in late December, the price of eggs almost doubled to an average of 100 drams (AMD; about 27 US cents) and eggs practically disappeared from shelves ahead of New Year.

In early December, Manase Yepremyan, director of Lusakert Pedigree Poultry Plant – with a share of the egg market amounting to about 40 per cent – said: "Egg prices will not rise ahead of New Year even by a penny."

According to specialists, the main reasons of egg deficit were the drastically increased demand and violation of market rules taken by some individual farmers.