DUSHANBE, May 10, 2011, Asia-Plus  -- Issues related to reduction in prices for some basic food products at local bazaars was the focus of a meeting of the Dushanbe mayor’s office that took place at the end of last week, Shavkat Saidov, a spokesman for the Dushanbe mayor’s office said.

Taking into account the findings of monitoring conducted at the city’s bazaars, the Dushanbe municipal government recommended merchants running shops at local bazaars to sell beef at 23.00 somoni per one kilogram and mutton at 24.00 somoni per one kilogram.

Over the past several days, the price of one kilogram of beef has been 27.00-28.00 somoni in Dushanbe.

Speaking at the meeting, Mayor Mahmadsaid Ubaidulloyev noted that a special attention must be paid to quality of meats being sold at Dushanbe’s bazaars.

The mayor also took decision to provide a 4 million somoni interest-free loan from the city’s budget to curb meat prices.  A unitary state enterprise for purchasing, stocking and selling basing food products will be set up at the Dushanbe’s mayor’s office as soon as possible, the spokesman stressed.

According to him, following an initiative of local entrepreneur Nemat Nazarov who also attended the meeting, the municipal government also recommended merchants to sell imported wheat flour grade I at 130.00 somoni per 50-kilogram sack and domestic wheat flour grade 1 at 120.50 somoni per 50-kilogram sack.

To lower oil product prices in the country, the mayor recommended local large oil product suppliers to establish a joint association and promised to provide a 10 million interest-free loan to them, Saidov added.