DUSHANBE, March 12, 2014, Asia-Plus -- In Tajikistan, inflation for the first two months of this year has stood at 1.3 percent (0.4 percent for January and 0.9 percent for February), according to the National Bank of Tajikistan.

A source at Tajik central bank says the government expects the year-end inflation to stand at 7.5 percent this year.

We will recall that the Trading Economics website reports that Tajikistan last year had the lowest inflation rate among Central Asia’s countries.

In Central Asia, the highest average inflation rate last year was recorded in Uzbekistan – 7.0 percent.  In Turkmenistan, inflation last year stood at 6.0 percent, Kazakhstan – 4.5 percent, and Kyrgyzstan – 4.0 percent.  In Tajikistan, the year-end inflation stood at 3.7 percent in 2013.

According to the Agency for Statistics under the President Tajikistan, 3.2 percent rise in prices of products of food industry was reported in Tajikistan in 2013 and non-foodstuffs last year reportedly rose in cost 6.1 percent.  Meanwhile, prices and rates for services rendered to the population rose only 0.8 percent in 2013, the Agency for Statistics said.