DUSHANBE, November 17, 2008, Asia-Plus — In Tajikistan, inflation for January-October 2008 stood at 13.1 percent, according to the State Committee for Statistics.
Inflation for the first nine months of this year stood at 12.7 percent.
Over the same ten-month period, an average monthly inflation rate in consumer’s sector has amounted to 1.31 percent, while over the same period of 2007 the average monthly rate in consumer’s sector amounted to 1.49 percent.
Prices of food products rose 15 percent in ten months to November 1. Prices of nonfoods and paid service rendered to the population have risen over the report period 5 percent and 21.2 percent respectively.
We will recall that speaking to reporters in Dushanbe on November 5, Dr. Axel Schimmelpfennig, head of the IMF International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) mission to Tajikistan, said that according to the IMF estimates, inflation will stand at 16 percent in Tajikistan by the end of this year. “Inflation has stood at high level this year and it reached its peak in August. Since August, decrease in inflation rate has been to be observed and it expected to stand at 16 percent by the end of December, the IMF official said.
According to the IMF estimates, food and fuel prices will be decreasing in 2009. Prices are expected to decrease by 20 percent. “Reduction of prices will help contain inflation in Tajikistan,” the IMF official said, adding that practically all food products in the country are imported from other countries. According to him, food products account for some 60 percent of the overall rate of inflation. Reduction or stabilization of prices of basic food products in Tajikistan will improve state of low-income sections of the population that were affected by the price hike. Inflation is expected to decrease to 12-10 percent in 2009.
