The Statistics Agency of Uzbekistan has reported a modest increase in both annual and monthly inflation rates as of April 2024. The annual inflation rate rose to 8.1%, up from 7.98% in March 2024, marking a 0.1% increase. Similarly, the monthly inflation rate saw a slight uptick of 0.2%, reaching 0.9% in April. This is a notable deceleration compared to the 11% annual inflation rate recorded in April 2023.
Food Price Increases
FOOD PRODUCTS by Khadicha Abdurashidova
Food prices have shown varied trends over the past month. Overall, food products experienced a price rise of 0.4% from March to April 2024 and a significant 7% increase compared to April 2023. Key changes in food prices include:
- Meat Products: Increased by 0.4% monthly.
- Cereals and Cereal Products: Increased by 0.6% monthly.
- Fish and Seafood: Saw a 2% monthly price increase.
- Sugar, Confectionery, and Desserts: Prices went up by 1.4%.
- Vegetables, Root Crops, and Legumes: Rose by 1.2%.
- Fats and Oils: A minor increase of 0.2%.
- Eggs, Milk, and Dairy Products: Prices decreased by 2.7%.
Specific food items exhibited more pronounced price changes:
- Rice: Increased by 0.9%.
- Wheat Flour: Rose by 0.4%.
- Fresh Milk: Increased by 1.8%.
- Sugar: Jumped by 3.3%.
- Eggs: Became significantly cheaper by 11.3%.
- Bananas: Prices soared by 9.9%.
- Mandarins: Increased by 7.4%.
- Lemons: Rose by 6.9%.
Non-Food Products and Services
The non-food sector also experienced notable price increases:
- Non-Food Products: Prices increased by 1% compared to March and by 7.7% year-on-year.
- Services: Overall service costs increased by 1.8% from the previous month and by 10.8% compared to April 2023.
Housing and Utilities
Several essential services saw significant price hikes:
- Accommodation Rent: Increased by 0.1%.
- Water Supply and Housing Maintenance Services: Skyrocketed by 14.6%.
- Electricity, Gas, and Other Fuels: Prices increased by 1.4%.
- Heating and Hot Water Services: Increased due to the abolition of the zero VAT rate and rising tariffs in Surkhandarya region and Tashkent.
Health and Medical Services
The health sector also faced substantial price increases:
- Medicines and Medical Products: Prices surged by 9.5% month-on-month and 19.1% year-on-year.
- Outpatient Treatment Services: Increased by 2.7%.
- Other Health Services: Rose by 3.3%.
Transport and Miscellaneous Services
Transportation costs displayed mixed trends:
- City Train Tickets: Increased by an average of 27% nationwide.
- International Air Traffic: Prices decreased by 2%.
- Domestic Air Traffic: Prices fell by 1.2%.
These fluctuations are attributed to changes in the national currency exchange rates.
Regional Variations in Utility Prices
There were stark regional differences in utility price increases:
- Cold Water and Sewage Services: Increased by 12% in all regions except Navoi and Surkhandarya.
- Navoi Region: Prices rose by 52.8% due to tariff hikes and VAT introduction.
- Surkhandarya Region: Prices skyrocketed by 65.5% for similar reasons.
While the overall inflation rates show a modest increase, specific categories, particularly food and utilities, have experienced significant price changes.
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