An upgraded version of the national Food Price Monitoring and Analysis (FPMA) Tool of the Agency on Statistics under the President of Tajikistan was presented in Dushanbe on April 17.
The event was hosted by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), which developed this new technology and supported its implementation. Attendees included representatives of government agencies and international organizations in Tajikistan.
The FPMA Tool is a web-based application for the analysis and dissemination of price data.
“The Agency on Statistics works hard to maintain a comprehensive collection of consumer price data across the country,” said Paul Racionzer, the coordinator of the tool’s development at FAO. “The FPMA Tool gives more visibility to this valuable data, presenting it in an easy-to-use format, accessible on the computers and tablets of everyone.”
An earlier version of the tool was introduced by the Agency on Statistics in 2014. Tajikistan was a pioneer at that time, but a growing number of countries worldwide have since adopted, or are currently adopting, the same technology. Kyrgyzstan is one nearby example; others include Zimbabwe in southern Africa and Guatemala in Central America.
Since its first release in 2014, the Tajikistan FPMA Tool has become a valuable public service, providing timely and reliable price information for evidence-based decision-making in the country. The tool also serves as a basis for research and analysis by international organizations, academia and the media.
The launch event was followed by a one-day training workshop at which representatives from government agencies and international organizations will get familiar with the new price tool.
