As the blessed month of Ramadan begins next week, the issue of maintaining price stability in domestic markets has once again come to the fore. Therefore, Shavkat Mirziyoyev gave a clear instruction to officials to launch discounted food fairs in farmers' markets and large shopping complexes.
The figures presented at the meeting also showed how sensitive the situation is: in January, annual inflation reached 7.2 percent. It was noted that a significant part of this growth falls on food prices - 45 percent, and in particular, 13 percent is associated with meat prices. That is, the main reason for the "heaviness of the purse" is precisely table goods.
In order to reduce dependence on imports in the meat sector, there is a simple but crucial point: the feed base. In this sense, the fact that 5 thousand hectares of land have been brought into use in the Mubarak district and corn planting has begun was cited as an example for others. Now the task has been set to expand this work and organize it on an additional 60 thousand hectares - as a result, a guaranteed feed source for 350 thousand head of livestock is expected.
Another direction in livestock farming is to improve the breed of small-horned cattle. For this purpose, 100 thousand sheep and goats were imported from Mongolia last year, and it was said that work will continue this year.
The issue of potatoes was also openly discussed: last year 772 thousand tons of potatoes were imported. Now, it was indicated that in 2026, officials and governors must achieve the goal of harvesting 4.5 million tons. In short, the potato “bar” is now quite high — but this is a necessary step to reduce import pressure.
In order to not “keep” prices “on hand”, but to calculate and manage them in advance, the Center for Industry Markets and Labor Productivity under the Ministry of Economy and Finance has been assigned new tasks: to identify internal and external risks in advance, analyze district and city markets every week, and forecast how demand will change in a month, three months, and a year. Based on warehouses and available capacities, a balance of basic food products is formed every quarter.
Most importantly, on the eve of Ramadan, the situation in the market in Uzbekistan should be maintained in balance with systematic control and supply, not “everyone for himself”. If the fairs really work at low prices, this will also be easier for the average person: during the fasting period, let the intentions, not the prices, be heavier.
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