"I don't evaluate my work with cucumbers": The head of the Ministry of Trade explains why tasty vegetables are expensive in winter.

During a question to the Minister of Trade and Integration, Arman Shakkaliev, a journalist pointed out that among the vegetables listed in the SPT (socially significant food products), only carrots, potatoes, and onions are included.

Cucumbers and tomatoes are not part of this list, which leads to significant price increases during winter – meanwhile, inexpensive vegetables tend to lack flavor, while tasty ones cost at least 2,000 tenge per kilogram.

"You are correct in saying that we should not limit ourselves to 19 products (in the list of socially significant items - ed.), as our diet includes, conditionally, 54 products that make up the basket. (…) However, there are various offerings in the market, some cheap and some more expensive. Price-quality ratio has always been a key criterion - the better the quality of the product, the higher the price," - Shakkaliev responded.

The journalist inquired how the Ministry of Trade assesses its performance in food pricing.

"I do not evaluate my work based on cucumbers. Cucumbers and tomatoes are available in the market. Some are cheap but tasteless, while others are high-quality but expensive. That is the market. There are products of average quality, and quality is a subjective concept," - the minister replied.

It should be noted that, according to JSC "Astana" SPC, the list of socially significant food products currently includes 19 items: flour, bread, pastries, eggs, buckwheat, rice, sugar, sunflower and butter, certain types of meat (beef, chicken), dairy products (milk, kefir, cottage cheese), vegetables (potatoes, carrots, onions, cabbage), and salt.

Additionally, today the head of the Ministry of Trade and Integration was asked how food prices would change in connection with the fluctuations in the dollar to tenge exchange rate.

"Of course, we cannot deny this factor; changes in exchange rates can lead to market fluctuations for import-dependent items. We do not deny this," - he noted.

Recall that after the weekend, the exchange rate for one dollar in Kazakhstan's currency exchange points rose to 500 tenge. By the evening, this figure surpassed that mark.

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