“There is no need to panic“ - Ministry of Agriculture speaks out on bread prices

Tengrinews.kz — Vice Minister of Agriculture Azat Sultanov was asked whether Kazakhstanis should expect food price hikes following droughts in several regions of the country. The question was raised during a government briefing today.
"What price will we be paying after the harvest? Won't this lead to a rise in prices?" the question was asked.
Sultanov replied that ordinary consumers and farmers interpret the concept of a "good year" differently. For the latter, it is sometimes even more profitable if the harvest is poor.

"While for us a good year means a large harvest, for them a good year is often when the harvest is small, because the price for their produce increases on the domestic market. Consequently, all this affects the production cost of socially significant goods. At the same time, I would like to note that both when grain was 180,000 tenge per ton four years ago and at the current price of 90,000, the price of social bread remains unchanged at 110 tenge on the shelf," Azat Sultanov said.

According to him, the state is taking all necessary measures to maintain this price.

"Therefore, I think it is too early to fear that we will be left without bread or that bread will be expensive, and there is no need to panic. However, should an unforeseen situation arise, the state will take containment measures. We believe the current situation does not warrant any concern," the Vice Minister added.

As a reminder: in May, Almaty fixed the price of social bread until 2027. According to an agreement between the Almaty Social-Entrepreneurial Corporation (SEC) and a local bakery, the price of one loaf will be 130 tenge, with the maximum retail markup not exceeding 15 percent.
These measures will remain in effect until May 2027.
Earlier, the Ministry of Agriculture addressed the question of what will happen to sugar prices.