Food security of the Kyrgyz Republic is an integral component of the national and economic security of the country as a whole, since food security issues are closely related to the general process of social and economic development of the country.
The information about the pandemic of the new coronavirus literally shook the entire world. The panic behavior of the population also observed in Kyrgyzstan, despite the fact that the Government reports every day that there are no confirmed cases of a new dangerous disease in the country. Nevertheless, a separate part of the population began to massively buy food and basic necessities, such as flour, cereals, butter, sugar and canned goods. Unscrupulous suppliers, in turn, took advantage of this, raising the price of some food products.
The unpreparedness of the Government for such a turn of events was announced by Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan Mukhammedkalyi Abylkaziev, during a briefing.
He said that the raise in food prices was formed as a result of rumors about the closure of borders. As a result, in order to ease tensions in the food sector, the government was forced to issue a resolution introducing state regulation of prices for flour and other foodstuffs of the first category.
“Some people on social networks reported that the border was closed and there would be a shortage of products. Flour price raised from 1300 soms to 2000. While the entire world is struggling with the disease, some entrepreneurs have tried to get rich and unreasonably raise prices. On weekends, I visited markets and retail chains myself. In the Dyikan market, some closed their warehouses under the pretext of a lack of flour and tried to raise prices. I met with the population, they were unhappy with the way the Government and the State Antimonopoly work,” Abylgaziev said, noting that the country has an adequate supply of food and essential goods.
The Antimonopoly Service was entrusted with setting maximum prices for flour and bread in order to exclude artificially high prices. Abylgaziev noted that fixed prices will be set for all food products in all regions.
In addition, the government allocated 400 million soms to two state-owned banks - Aiyl Bank and RSK Bank for the purchase of grain and flour. At the same time, Abylgaziev noted that the Material Reserves Fund has enough food products, including wheat.
At the same time, the prime minister recalled that tough measures will be taken regarding those who will unreasonably raise prices. The State Service for Fighting Economic Crimes launched a series of pre-trial proceedings against entrepreneurs trying to speculate on prices.
Earlier, Prime Minister Mukhammedkalyi Abylgaziev visited the capital’s food markets and got acquainted on the spot with the sale of food and basic necessities.
“No one imposed any restrictions on the supply of goods and food products, and cargo flow across the border is carried out as usual. There is no reason to raise prices. In this regard, I would like to urge citizens not to succumb to unreasonable panic. The state is able to cope with the situation and provide its citizens with all necessary goods, including food. None of you will see empty store shelves. Food supplies are sufficient and there is no cause for concern. Panic is beneficial only to certain groups of people who, taking advantage of the situation, are trying to earn money by selling their goods at inflated prices,” said the head of government.
Despite the fact that at present the Kyrgyz Republic cannot to some extent provide itself with basic types of food, which leads to a high level of import dependence, the government is doing everything to reduce the level of dependence on basic types of food.
In order to implement the strategic priorities of ensuring the country's food security and promptly respond to internal and external threats to the stability of the food market of the Kyrgyz Republic, last year the government decided to approve the Food Security and Nutrition Program in the Kyrgyz Republic for 2019-2023. The purpose of this program is to increase volumes and increase the stability of domestic production of basic food products and increase the sustainability of food supplies to the domestic market, as well as stimulate and support domestic production of basic food products.
In order to achieve the goals of the action plan of the food security and nutrition program in the Kyrgyz Republic for 2019-2023, all available sources of funding will be mobilized.
Kabar News Agency
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