Turkmenistan, Ashgabat, Feb.10 / Trend H. Hasanov /
Turkmen President Gurbangulu Berdimuhammadov, addressing at a governmental meeting, demanded to keep pricing issues under control, as well as providing domestic market with high-quality domestic products, an official Turkmen source said today.
"Our goal is to turn to Turkmenistan into an industrially developed country, where advanced technologies, producing consumer goods of high quality that can compete in world markets, are widely introduced in all spheres," the President said.
Berdimuhammadov first expressed his discontent towards the country's Commerce Ministry, which is caused by increase in food prices, demanding from appropriate structures for their immediate "optimization".
The question was about the need to regulate all issues relating to pricing, the organization of supplies of basic food products, the necessary volumes of fruit, vegetables to urban markets at affordable prices and also inspect their storage conditions.
State-regulated prices and tariffs are effective in Turkmenistan for a number of items of goods and essential services.
According to the country's State Statistics Committee, on subsidized fixed prices and tariffs the following products should be sold to the population: bread (from high grade and first sort flour), flour (high grade and first sort), salt, gasoline and diesel fuel, cement, slate, brick. In addition, the country's population will be provided gas, electricity, water and salt free by 2030.
At the same time, Turkmenistan the list of subsidized goods has gradually narrowed. For example, from 11 February 2008 the state liberalized prices for gasoline and diesel fuel for the owners of private vehicles. In order to provide social support to population and control inflation growth coupons for free selling of some amount of gasoline and diesel fuel were introduced.