DUSHANBE, September 12, Asia-Plus — A sudden spike in prices of wheat flour has lead to a more than 30 percent increase of bread and bread products in Tajikistan over the past seven days.
A special commission has been set up to inquire into reasons for the flour price hike in the country, the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade (MoEDT) said.
The price of a 50-kilogram sack of wheat flour in Dushanbe has risen from 115 somonis on September 7 to 135 somonis, with similar price rise in other parts of the country. The price of one loaf (Tajik national bread) on some markets in Dushanbe has risen from 1.5 somonis on September 7 to 2 somonis.
Local experts attribute price rise to the upcoming holy Muslim month of Ramadan. It is to be noted that usually, prices of basic food products, including wheat flour, rise some 10 percent on the eve of Ramadan.
In the meantime, some specialists say that the price hike has resulted from the rising cost of grain in Kazakhstan, which provides the bulk of Tajikistan’s grain imports.
