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Kyrgyzstan

Kyrgyzstan: Monthly update on Food Security and Prices in Rural and Urban areas, Issue 23, April 2014

Attachments

Highlights

  • The national average retail price of wheat flour remained largely unchanged on a month-on-month basis in April 2014; however a slight increase was observed in rural areas (1%). The price was 3% lower on a year- on-year basis, but was 37% higher than the lowest point in the last three years, which was recorded in May/ June 2012. The National Statistics Committee’s (NSC) price monitoring, which covers the main urban markets also showed no change in wheat flour prices on a month-on-month basis.

  • Following a seasonal pattern, potato prices increased further in April 2014 in both urban and rural areas and reached a new record high in nominal term. The national average price was 75% higher than a year ago.

  • Meat prices also showed a seasonal increase and remained at a record high level - the prices were 6% and 10% higher for mutton and beef respectively, than in April 2013.

  • Fuel prices slightly decreased by 1% in April 2014, but were 2% higher than a year ago.

  • After a sharp depreciation of the Kyrgyz Som from 49 som to 54 som per US dollar, the exchange rate remained almost unchanged in April 2014. The price data of this report reflects WFP’s actual monthly recording of prices in seven urban and thirteen rural markets around the country, as well as in urban settlements monitored by the NSC.

  • Market stability is critical for vulnerable households particularly during the spring season, because of increased expenditures on agricultural inputs and depleted household food stocks from the previous harvest. In the months ahead, WFP will pay close attention to a number of risk factors: the potential impact of the depreciation of the national currency on food and fuel prices, higher prices for some food items in rural areas, the levels of household level food consumption and the occurrence of natural disasters such as floods and droughts.

  • Should any recipient of this bulletin require information from previous monitoring conducted by WFP since June 2009, please contact WFP Country Office in the Kyrgyz Republic at WFP.Bishkek@wfp.org.