Over the past week, staple food prices in Kazakhstan fell by 0.1%, but they are still 2.1% higher than a year ago. According to the Bureau of National Statistics, from August 12 to 19, socially significant food products (SSFP) became on average 0.1% more affordable, reports infohub.kz.
The largest weekly price drop was recorded for onions – down 4.9% to 188 tenge per kilogram. Potatoes lost 4.1% in price, now averaging 248 tenge per kg. Also notably cheaper were apples – down 2.7% (to 776 tenge), white cabbage – down 2.2% (to 185 tenge), carrots – down 1.9% (to 255 tenge), cucumbers – down 1.5% (to 480 tenge), tomatoes – down 0.4% (to 530 tenge), and lamb – down 0.6% (to 4,498 tenge per kg).
At the same time, some products became more expensive. Ground meat rose by 0.5% to an average of 4,294 tenge per kg, boneless beef also by 0.5% (to 4,977 tenge), and beef with bones by 0.4% (to 3,795 tenge).
On an annual basis, socially significant food products rose by an average of 2.1%, while overall inflation stood at 10.2% as of early August. Some products became cheaper: rice – down 3.7% (averaging 537 tenge per kg), apples – down 9.6%, white cabbage – down 0.7%, cucumbers – down 41%, and tomatoes – down 16%.
Among the products that rose in price over the year, lamb (+23.9%), carrots (+23.7%), and potatoes (+21.7%) stand out.
It is important to note that all prices are averages across Kazakhstan. In each region and city, the cost of products can vary significantly, as can the overall increase in SSFP prices.
Recall that the list of socially significant food products includes 31 items. Their prices are monitored weekly and controlled by the state.