KHUJAND, February 9, 2011, Asia-Plus  -- Tajikistan’s Public Procurement Agency (PPA)’s office in Sughd has begun to sell wheat flour from a national reserve at restricted prices in an attempt to reign in high food prices and support vulnerable families in the province.

The Sughd marketing department head Rahmon Zohidov told Asia-Plus they began to sell flour in Khujand, Qairoqqum, Panjakent, Istaravshan, Kuhistoni Mastchoh, Asht, Shahriston and Mastchoh at the end of last week.

“The price for a 50-kiloram sack of grade I flour from flour-milling plant in Spitamen district rose from 98.00 somoni in January to 115.00 somoni on February 2, but after negotiations of the Sughd authorities with the milling plant administration the price has been lowered to 112.00 somoni,” said Zohidov, “”They are continuing to sell flour at this price – one sack per customer.”

To-date, they have sold 570 tons of flour from the national reserve.  Meanwhile, Sughd’s annual requirements in flour are now 262,900 tons.

Current price for a 50-kilogram sack of grade I flour produced by the Spitamen flour-milling plant at Khujand’s bazaars is 118.00 somoni.