This summer surprised Kazakhstanis not only with the intense heat, reaching + 45-47 degrees in the shade, but also with an unprecedented shortage of sugar, which people have already begun to call "white gold". Artificial price speculation on essential products is far from a rare case and always seriously hits the family budget of Kazakhstanis, despite the fact that ministers persistently assert the opposite. So this time, the people did not have time to move away from the wild excitement with sugar, as the turn came to onions, which have risen in price by 109 percent since the beginning of this year.

This was told to Kazakhstanis in the Ministry of Trade and Integration of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Despite the high yield of onions, its cost in the domestic market is extremely high. The price of onions has increased by 109 percent since the beginning of the year (more than doubled), which is the highest increase in the last four years. At the same time, its weekly growth is observed by an average of 2-3 percent.

The average price of onions in the republic is 191 tenge, while the maximum price of onions in the amount of 308 tenge is fixed in the Almaty region.

The high cost of onions in Kazakhstan's domestic market is associated with the growing demand for onions in the neighboring market and high export prices for it, which increased the volume of onion exports outside the Republic of Kazakhstan.

In order to ensure the country's food security, on July 20 this year, onion pricing was considered at a meeting on prices for socially important food products.

The Ministry of Agriculture, in order to form the internal price, was instructed to analyze the availability of the domestic market with this product, organize, together with the Ministry of Agriculture, the contracting and supply of onions to the regions, as well as to raise the question of the expediency of introducing a ban or restriction on the export of onions to the interdepartmental commission on foreign trade.

At the same time, in order to prevent uncontrolled export, it was decided to suspend the issuance of phytosanitary permits until this issue is considered at a meeting of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. On July 22, at a meeting of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and a meeting on NWPT issues, a position was expressed on the inexpediency of introducing a ban on the export of onions at the current stage, since the analysis showed that there is no threat of onion shortage in the domestic market of Kazakhstan, and today the provision of the regions with onions is 34 thousand tons, which is 132% of monthly consumption. In this connection, the issuance of phytosanitary permits should be resumed.

In addition, on July 22, after the meeting of the Ministry of Internal Affairs during a conference call with the regions, the Ministry of Agriculture was once again instructed to develop mechanisms to ensure the domestic market at fair prices through phytosanitary permits and licensing with quotas, as well as together with the Border Service of the National Security Committee (by agreement) to ensure compliance with the requirements of legislation to ban the export of onions without phytosanitary permits and continue working in the prescribed manner.

Moreover, the Ministry of Agriculture was instructed to conduct a risk analysis of the security of the domestic market of vegetable products from the NWPT category by September 15 this year.

Thus, for today there is no ban on the export of onions.

In this regard, MIT once again urges to promptly apply for clarification directly to the central state body, without creating unnecessary excitement in the market.

Postfactum.kz