Tojikmatloubot (the Union of Cooperative Retail Societies) has announced the volume of stocks of agricultural products kept at its warehouses.
In a report released at a news conference in Dushanbe, Tojikmatloubot head Husain Idiyev noted on February 9 that 2,364 tons of agricultural goods, including 703 tons of potatoes and 155,000 conventional jars of canned products, are currently kept at Matloubot’s 45 warehouses.
Journalists asked about the reason for increase in potato prices, which have risen to 5.00 somonis per kilogram in recent days.
Idiyev didn’t believe that the price for one kilogram of potatoes is so much. “Today, potatoes are sold at retail at the rate of 3.00-4.50 somonis per kilogram. It is not so expensive,” Tajik official said.
He further noted that financial opportunities of Tojikmatloubot do not allow influencing market prices for vegetables and fruits.
According to the statistical data from the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), Tajikistan last year produced nearly 990,000 of potatoes, which is enough to meet the population’s annul requirements in potatoes.
However, experts, taking into account increasing potato imports, doubt the validity of the official statistics.
During the past year, potato prices reportedly rose 20.1 percent in Tajikistan. Over the past couple of months, an average price for 1 kilogram of potatoes increased from 4.00 somonis in early December to 5.00 somonis in early February.
