THE MARKET FACTOR

Although control of the sale of substandard and counterfeit goods in Azerbaijan has increased, the situation still causes serious concern, said Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev at a cabinet meeting on the results of socioeconomic development in the first quarter of this year. He pointed out that the country needs to toughen penalties on manufacturers who make products of poor quality. According to Ilham Aliyev, counterfeit and substandard products are harmful to the citizens' health, "which is why it is necessary to strictly monitor imports in order to keep out-of-date products out of Azerbaijan, as well as fake food manufactured locally by primitive means."

The president stressed that this work must be carried out by the Ministry of Economic Development and the State Committee for Standardization, Metrology and Patents, while local executive bodies should provide the necessary assistance to these agencies. The president believes that the heads of district executive authorities before whose "eyes" these products are being sold should support public entities "dealing with the is sue and give timely signals", since it is very difficult for the latter to cover all production sites, due to the extensive development of entrepreneurship and the tens of thousands of businesses and industrial sites. Ilham Aliyev believes that the elimination of any factor affecting citizens' health should become everybody's business.

Everyone decides for themselves?

It is worth noting that the head of state's concern about the sale of counterfeit goods on the Azerbaijani market is not without basis. There are too many substandard and counterfeit goods and they can be found at almost all uncontrolled points of sale. However, the current situation in this sphere cannot be compared with the disgraceful situation of the past, when copies of well-known brands could be bought at relatively low prices in the streets, in underground passages, etc. The same surrogates were sold shamelessly in shops, but their price was proportional to the shop's reputation. Today, there is another trend - not only has control tightened, the consumer has also grown up and understands clearly what the seller is offering. Now the buyer does not trust even the most reputable shops. The electronic and print media often write about fakes, copies and counterfeits and about ways to avoid dealing with unscrupulous manufacturers and sellers.

But we should not overlook the fact that not everyone can afford to buy expensive, original high-quality goods. A reasonable price, for example, for "French" perfume sold in our streets and squares is an indisputable argument for many buyers who are perfectly well aware that they won't get anything good for the price and allow themselves to be deceived. So, what am I to do? most of them say. "I need to buy so many gifts for 8 March that, on the advice of friends, I had to go to the so-called 'flea market'. They bought some French perfume for 10-15 AZN there. The packaging, incidentally, is no different from the original. I cannot buy perfume, several bottles at once, at this price in the stores. And the gift will be acceptable," said one of our interviewees.

Due to a permanent shortage of money, many of us find it difficult to object to such arguments.

But there are some points that everyone needs to know and remember. Counterfeit fragrances are a worldwide problem. It is so extensive that several UN organizations deal with it. The inconsistency of fragrances is nothing compared to the harm done to health by fake products. First of all, we should reflect on the fact that perfume stays on clothes for days, is constantly inhaled and odorous molecules enter the lungs. This is a kind of inhalation or aromatherapy. Often, phthalate is used in counterfeit perfume as a fixative - this is a derivative of naphthalene and a dangerous toxin that slowly but surely accumulates in the body. Moreover, counterfeit perfumes are produced from oils used in perfume powders, shampoos and soaps. At best, they can cause a headache or allergy and, at worst - cancer. The manufacture of counterfeit fragrances involves the use of substances banned by international standards of quality and, of course, counterfeit aromatic products have nothing to do with the legal importation. All these products come into Azerbaijan illegally. In addition to obviously fake products, the perfume market is flooded with products of unknown manufacture. Although they can be of quite good quality, they are also imported into Azerbaijan illegally. So before deciding to buy counterfeit perfume, it is better to think carefully.

As for other goods, counterfeit and substandard products on the Azerbaijani market are predominant in clothing and food products. They are followed by perfumes and cosmetics, tobacco and alcohol, CDs and household appliances. Most counterfeits are sold without a certificate of conformity and with counterfeit labels of well-known manufacturers. Counterfeits from Southeast Asia and Eastern Europe come to Azerbaijan in good quality packaging and are often distributed via e-stores. It should be noted that many counterfeit products are made domestically in underground mini-shops.

Made in Azerbaijan

Foreign citizens may engage in business activities in Azerbaijan but, like local businessmen, they must follow the letter of the law and comply with hygiene regulations. If not, their businesses are banned by the authorities. In March, one such business was found in the village of Ramana, in Baku's Suraxani district - migrants from China were engaged in the production of baked goods that did not conform to sanitary standards. Having entered the shop, employees of the State Committee for Standardization, Metrology and Patents found that buns were being baked in unsanitary conditions - the shop was in a terrible condition. The staff worked without special clothes, had no equipment for kneading the dough, the oven did not meet certain requirements and all standards applying to the production process were violated. The owner of the shop was a Chinese citizen named Hu Kin. However, it turned out later that the owner of all this private property - the house in which the Chinese lived and worked - was a citizen of Azerbaijan. He had ordered this work and the finished products were put on sale in Baku villages. The offenders were brought to administrative accountability under the relevant article of the Azerbaijani Code of Administrative Offences and were fined 1,500-2,000 AZN. But how many more such shops can operate in Azerbaijan and how many more such harmful products can Azerbaijani consumers buy?! In most cases, the owners of these shops are, of course, local citizens. Here is another glaring fact. Not so long ago, employees of the same state committee found a workshop producing 'French' Perrier mineral water, which was operating in a toilet. Water was poured into bottles from a toilet tap. And this is not an isolated case. Pastries and sausages are made in cellars, barns and apartments. These rooms are insanitary, with mice and rats scurrying around. 

Therefore, experts advise buyers to be careful and to buy food only from stores and supermarkets. But even buying goods in shops does not guarantee against purchasing low quality goods. This means, above all, that the buyer must pay attention to the ingredients, expiry date, date of production and availability of the manufacturer's telephone numbers.

According to the State Committee for Standardization, Metrology and Patents, in the first quarter of 2010, producers and importers of food products which posed a threat to human life and health and did not meet regulatory requirements were fined a total of 97,475 manats. Due to the threat to human health, 40 tonnes of confectionary products, 888 tonnes of rice, 10 tonnes of dairy products, 56,000 litres of soft drinks and fruit juices, manufactured both in the country and abroad, were withdrawn from circulation and destroyed. Poor-quality products were tested at the committee's food laboratory fitted with modern equipment.

Made in China

Further, experts advise refraining from buying Chinese toys coated with paint as it can contain such hazardous substances as cadmium, even if the price and the child's toy appear very attractive. Moreover, many Chinese-made toys tested had an unpleasant odour and contain high levels of phenol, which has a negative impact on heredity and affects the liver, kidneys and blood, while high concentrations lead to burns. The State Committee recommends buying toys only from company stores. According to experts, the quality of goods is rarely controlled at markets where most of these toys (60 per cent) are sold. This, of course, will be expensive, but what can be more expensive than a child's health? Today, Azerbaijan imports toys from almost all countries of the world, but mostly from China and Dubai. In fairness, it must be noted that in recent years, the quality of imported toys has improved significantly. After all, officially, imported goods are always accompanied by a certificate of quality. In this case, the manufacturer and the supplier are interested in the high quality of the products. When the toys are imported into Azerbaijan by illegal means, which is very difficult to determine, public services cannot, of course, vouch for their quality. To detect such cases, special operations are carried out and these products are withdrawn from sale.

But in any case, the best supervisor in the process of buying and selling is the consumer. It is very difficult to cheat a well-informed consumer, who is well-versed in his rights. Quite often he needs to think about his education as a customer in order to help not only himself and his family, but also others. And this responsibility lies with each of us: no-one will protect us better than ourselves.