DUSHANBE, March 1, Asia-Plus — According to Tajik experts, rise in prices of grain and flour as well as possible restriction on grain exports in Kazakhstan and rising export and customs duties on these products in Russia, which provide the bulk of Tajikistan’s grain and flour exports, may lead to another spike in prices in the country.
In the meantime, specialists from the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade (MoEDT) noted that they have not yet received information about the possible export restrictions introduced in Kazakhstan. However, they do not ruled out the possible rise in grain and flour prices in the country.
According to them, the price hike may result from considerable reduction in number of entities dealing with delivery of grain and wheat flour to the country. The number of grain and flour suppliers reduced from 400 in December 2007 to 31 in January 2008, the source at MoEDT said.
Reduction in the number of the suppliers, with 55 percent of them being physical entities, has affected the volume of grains and flour being imported to Tajikistan. “Thus, the volume of delivery of wheat flour reduced from nearly 69,000 tons in December 2007 to 38,045 tons in January,” the MoEDT source noted.
“Of course, Kazakhstan’s restrictions on grain exports will lead to rise in flour prices in Tajikistan,” said Tuhfa Usmonova, a specialist with the MoEDT, “Especially as extreme winter weather has inflicted serious damage to the agrarian sector that will affect prices of basic food products on markets.”
According to her, one of ways to resolve the problem of sudden spike in grain and four prices could be “diversification of trading partner countries on importing these products.”
