The threat of flu – swine and otherwise -- in Armenia has apparently led people to buy more garlic as an unconventional means of prevention, a situation that sellers have taken advantage of by quickly altering price tags.

Garlic is considered to have a certain preventive and even therapeutic effect when used before and during flu and common cold symptoms. Now it has proved to be a cash crop for some Armenian merchants.

The normal price of garlic has nearly doubled over last year’s prices as currently a kilo sells at about 1,800-2,000 drams (or up to $5). Sellers say that last year this time a normal garlic price was 800-1,000 drams (or $2-2.60).

The price of garlic imported from neighboring Iran, meanwhile, is 1,000-1,500 drams (or about $2.60-3.80). Specialists explain that unlike imported garlic, the locally grown product preserves all best qualities for flu prophylactics.

Doctors, too, usually recommend a regular use of garlic, which has a disinfecting effect, as a means to prevent flu and common cold during periods of outbreaks of the diseases. Also, it is believed that garlic has a multiplied remedying effect when used raw.

According to foreign media reports, many schools in Russia and China have been encouraging their students to wear so-called garlic necklaces and eat garlic with food that they offer at school canteens.

Despite the unpleasant smell, garlic neckwear is not an unusual practice at some Armenian homes either.

Gayane Meliksetyan, a seller at a retail market in the Mergelyan Institute area, says that the demand for garlic is high despite its unusually high price.

“Yesterday, for example, I had 20 kilos, it all sold out. Now I’ve bought it again to resell,” says Meliksetyan.

Gagik Manucharyan, of the Agriculture Ministry, tells ArmeniaNow that the penetration of swine flu into Armenia is one of the major contributing factors to the increase in the price of garlic.

“We all know that if something sells well at the market, sellers raise the price at once,” says Manucharyan, who heads the Ministry’s department for plant-growing, forest economy and plant protection.