In May 2024, the prices of food products, which include 19 types of social foodstuffs, decreased by 0.2%. In general, deflation on food products is observed for the first time in the last 4 years,
primeminister.kz reports.
The current price situation was considered at a regular meeting in the Government on Saturday, 1 June, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Serik Zhumangarin.
Every week at these meetings there is a detailed analysis of the weekly price index in the country. By analysing price increases or decreases, each of the 19 types of social food products in 20 regions of Kazakhstan is examined. The reasons are identified and, if necessary, orders are immediately given to stabilise the cost.
So this time: First Deputy Minister of Trade and Integration Aizhan Bizhanova presented a weekly picture of food prices in the country. 10 regions went into minus (Abay, East Kazakhstan region, Pavlodar, Karaganda, Aktobe, Turkestan, Zhambyl, Kyzylorda, Atyrau, Astana), five kept zero price growth (East Kazakhstan region, Almaty, Almaty, Kostanay, Zhetisu, Almaty), another five regions recorded an increase in the social group of products at the level of 0.1-0.6% (Akmola, Mangystau, West Kazakhstan region, Ulytau, Shymkent).
During the week the prices for cabbage (-7.2%), buckwheat groats (-1.7%), rice (-0.1%), sunflower oil (-0.5%), chicken meat (-0.2%), milk of 2.5% fat content (-0.2%), chicken eggs of C1 category (-0.6%) decreased. At the same time there is an increase in prices for potatoes, carrots and onions. In the three southern regions of Kazakhstan recorded an increase in prices for kefir cumulatively by 0.3%. According to MTI, the prices for sour-milk products were raised by a local large producer. Serik Zhumangarin instructed the Agency to analyse this market for the reasonableness of the increase.
The meeting also discussed the draft indicative prices for vegetables for June this year. To exclude the possibility of inflated prices by unproductive intermediaries, Serik Zhumangarin instructed the Ministry of Trade together with the Agency to calculate economically justified profitability of prices and determine fair indicative prices for vegetables at the end of the spring off-season.