ASHGABAT
— Food prices have reached record highs in the Turkmen capital in recent days
as the government has restricted entry into Ashgabat amid apparent government
efforts to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
“Beef was selling at about 40 manats (about $11 at the official rate) a
kilo in the bazaar yesterday, and it was about 32 manats ($9) just three days
ago,” an Ashgabat resident told RFE/RL on March 24. He added that, while
meat prices go up almost daily, the price tags don’t change and still show
about 24 manats ($7) a kilo for meat.
“I also bought a kilo of cooking oil for about 22 manats ($6) and it was
about 13 manats ($4) last week,” said the man, who requested anonymity
because of possible repercussions from officials in the secretive,
authoritarian country.
But he said the prices in state stores are still the same — though the goods
in those stores are rationed and most people have little chance of buying
something at those lower prices because demand is so high.
“This morning, I bought a flat bread in the government store near my home,
it was 1 manat (about $0.30) as usual,” he added.
Beating All Records
While Turkmen have often faced food price hikes and shortages in recent years,
RFE/RL’s local correspondents said the latest increase is beating all records.
An RFE/RL Ashgabat correspondent reported that a 5-kilo can of
sunflower oil has risen threefold to about 200 manat ($57) in recent days.
The average salary in Turkmenistan — a mostly desert country of some 5.8
million people — is estimated at about $400 a month.
The correspondent said there was “chaos in stores with people rushing to
buy foodstuffs” in some parts of the city. Police officers were
controlling the situation in Ashgabat’s Tekin bazaar and grocery stores, the
correspondent reported.
The reason behind the new wave of inflation is unknown as authorities usually
don’t acknowledge any hardship in the country and don’t take questions from
foreign media.
RFE/RL correspondents in some of Turkmenistan’s provinces reported similar
price hikes and shortages.
Meanwhile, low wages remain unchanged and unemployment and poverty are
widespread in Ashgabat — a city of just over a million people — despite the
nation’s abundant energy resources.
The latest price increases come as Turkmenistan banned entry to Ashgabat for
nonresidents on March 20 and restricted traffic and people’s movement between
the regions, also with no prior announcement or explanation.
The document didn’t mention the coronavirus and instead vaguely
spoke of an “illness” and “virus.”
It also instructed police and doctors not to allow passengers who have
“fever and symptoms” to board planes, buses, and trains and to
transfer them to nearby hospitals.
The document said people who are released after being under quarantine for the
“illness” must register with their local police upon returning home.
Travel between the provinces is allowed only for emergency-medical reasons,
family weddings, funerals, and visiting sick relatives, the document said.
Every traveler must, however, carry a letter from local authorities confirming
the reason for travel.
Copyright (c) 2015. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave NW, Ste 400, Washington DC 20036.