DUSHANBE, February 9, 2011, Asia-Plus — Tajikistan’s Public Procurement Agency (PPA) has announced measures to curb increasing food prices in the country.
Part of flour, sugar and rice from a national reserve will be sold to the population at restricted prices, the PPA director Sohibjon Ziyodulloyev told Asia-Plus.
According to him, the decision on selling flour, sugar and rice from the national reserves has been adopted to curb rise in prices of some basic food products. “Fairs will be organized across the country on the following Saturday and Sunday,” said Ziyodulloyev, “The mentioned food products will be offered without restriction and the prices will be 10-15% lower than the market prices. We hope this measure will yield good results. If the prices continue to rise, we will organize such fairs in the future as well.”
According to data from the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade (MEDT), prices for local grade I flour have risen 80 percent in the past year and prices for imported flour have risen 76 percent. Prices for rice and sugar have risen over the report period 23 and 25 percent respectively.
