DUSHANBE, August 15, 2012, Asia-Plus -- The Dushanbe mayor’s office will strictly control prices of basic food products at local bazaars until the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, Shavkat Saidov, a spokesman for the Dushanbe mayor’s office, said in an interview with Asia-Plus.

“On August 14 alone, the Public Procurement Agency (PPA) under the Government of Tajikistan, local companies and individual entrepreneurs offered 22.52 tons of beef, 4.389 tons of lamb, more than 156,000 eggs, and 270.4 tons of wheat flour (256.5 tons of grade I flour and 13.9 tons of grade II flour) for sale at Dushanbe’s bazaars,” Saidov noted.

We will recall that the Dushanbe authorities took measures to curb food price hikes during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.  The Dushanbe mayor’s office called on market traders to lower the prices they charged for flour, beef, and lamb.

Bazaar merchants were reportedly recommended to sell beef at 29.00 somoni per one kilogram, lamb at 30.00 somoni per one kilogram, vegetable oil at up to 8.00 somoni per liter, local rice at up to 7.00 somoni per kilogram, sugar at up to 5.00 somoni per kilogram, milk at up to 3.00 somoni per liter, potatoes at up to 2.00 per kilogram, carrots at up to 2.20 somoni per kilogram, onions at up to 1.10 somoni per kilogram and eggs at up to 60 dirams per piece.

One of Dushanbe’s bazaars, Rohi Ohan, which is located not far form the Dushanbe railway station, was temporarily closed on August 10 for failure to implement mayor’s resolution on regulation of prices for basic food products during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

The Dushanbe official say the mayor’s resolution has been registered with the Ministry of Justice as a standard-legal act that makes it obligatory for all entities.  According to them, merchants running shops at the Rohi Ohan bazaar, however, set prices that have been higher than those recommended by the mayor’s office.