On the social network Threads, Kazakhstanis are actively discussing archived food prices recorded in a newspaper clipping dated January 15, 1995. According to the published data, the US dollar then traded at 57 tenge, the German mark at 36 tenge, and a thousand Russian rubles at 17 tenge, reports infohub.kz.
Users were particularly drawn to the cost of food. A kilogram of lamb cost 50 tenge, beef — 40 tenge, butter — 150 tenge, potatoes — 16 tenge, carrots — 12 tenge, vegetable oil — 48 tenge, sugar — 42 tenge, lagman — 35 tenge, nuts — 60 tenge, Indian tea — 145 tenge, onions — 12 tenge, and candy — 60 tenge.
Thus, the most expensive products for Kazakhstanis at that time were butter and Indian tea. At the same time, a kilogram of lamb or beef was comparable in price to a kilogram of sugar or a bottle of sunflower oil.
In the comments, users were surprised by the archived prices and noted that they differ drastically from today's market situation.
"A kilogram of meat cost less than a buck," one commenter marveled.
"Even a can of condensed milk was a delicacy back then. And when my father brought a 2-liter Coke from a business trip, we stretched it out for several days. We fried pasta with just a Maggi cube," a user shared.
Some Kazakhstanis calculated that 30 years ago, 1,000 German marks could have bought a BMW E38, Mercedes-Benz W124, or Audi 80 from Germany.
Recall that the Ministry of Agriculture of Kazakhstan does not expect a sharp rise in beef prices. Vice Minister Nazgul Khatepova explained this by domestic production volumes and growth in livestock numbers.
Currently, the average price of meat in the country is about 3,800 tenge per kilogram, but in Astana at certain markets the price reaches approximately 4,500 tenge.
Earlier, Kursiv wrote that meat, poultry, and utilities remain the main goods and services whose price increases are most noticed by residents of Kazakhstan.