Price stability will be ensured in markets before Ramadan
The blessed month of Ramadan will begin next week. This was reported by Zamin.uz.
On this occasion, ensuring price stability in domestic markets in our country has become a matter of urgent importance. President Shavkat Mirziyoyev gave clear instructions to the responsible authorities to organize discounted food fairs in farmers' markets and large shopping centers.
According to the information presented at the meeting, annual inflation in January was 7.2 percent. A large part of this indicator is related to the increase in food prices, with 45 percent specifically attributed to this category of products.
In particular, the rise in meat prices accounted for 13 percent of the overall inflation. The price increases are mainly associated with difficulties in meeting the population's demand for staple food products.
To reduce dependence on meat imports, efforts are underway to expand the feed base in the country. For example, in Muborak district, corn planting has started on 5,000 hectares, and this experiment will now be expanded to an additional 60,000 hectares.
As a result of these projects, a guaranteed feed source for 350,000 head of livestock is planned to be created. Another important direction in livestock farming is improving the breed of small-horned cattle.
Last year, 100,000 sheep and goats were imported from Mongolia, and this work will continue this year as well. These measures are aimed at increasing local meat production.
The issue of potato cultivation was also discussed. While 772,000 tons of potatoes were imported last year, the task has been set to increase the annual yield to 4.5 million tons by 2026 to reduce this figure in the future.
These plans will help reduce import volumes and stabilize prices in the domestic market. Additionally, rather than artificially maintaining prices, the Ministry of Economy and Finance was instructed to strengthen the activities of the Network Markets and Labor Productivity Center, which operates under its authority, to analyze the market in advance and manage it in a planned manner.
The center is engaged in identifying internal and external risks in advance, forecasting market demand, and forming a balance of food products. It is important that market activities are under systematic control on the eve of welcoming the month of Ramadan.
If discounted fairs are organized effectively, this will have a positive impact on the living conditions of the population. During Ramadan, intentions should be heavier than prices.
