For the vast majority of the population the prices are prohibitive. In addition, to buy meat and bread, limits have been set per person. Turkmen must acquire food purchase permits in order to eat. By law, the minimum wage is 298 euros per month.
Moscow () – The purchase of food remains the main problem for the majority of the population of Turkmenistan. The most sought after products, bread and chicken thighs can be found more easily, unlike what happened months ago. However, the prices are prohibitive, and people try hard and resort to special strategies to buy them.
In the shops of Mary, the second city in the country, chicken wings are sold at a fixed price, established by the State: 16 manats (5 euros) per kilo. The only place where they are bought is the vegetable market on Calle Mollanepes, in the cellars. Only two are sold per person at the price of one kilo, and the weight includes the ice poured into the container.
Every day, from sundown, the inhabitants of Mary line up in front of the market to secure two chicken wings a day, the only meat accessible to families. Veal and beef are not even mentioned. In Ashgabat, if you buy too much bread you can be fined up to 15 manats (4.2 euros); families take turns queuing at various points in the city.
As some inhabitants of Mary explain to Azattyq, “It takes at least three people to stand in line for the chicken wings, I go there with my wife and son, while my 15-year-old daughter waits to buy two portions of bread, the most they give you, except that want to spend two manats for a loaf, then they give you as much as you want. The state price for a loaf of bread is 0.5 manat and can only be purchased in the area where one lives. A registered permit must first be presented at the condominium office, for which it is also necessary to pay a fee.
Permits to buy food have also increased recently, and now cost at least 10 manats. To get them, you have to present payment receipts for other condominium services – unless you pay 20 manats, then you immediately get the coveted document.
However, very few are able to get everything they need by paying tips and bribes. A family from Mary recounted how they tried to organize “sedak”, Islam’s traditional meal of thanksgiving, in this case for the fortunate return of a son from military service. Family members took forced shifts for a week, picking chicken thighs up to 30 pounds to feed all the diners. No member of the family tasted the meat, which was intended for guests.
The state authorities do not comment on the conditions of the food supply, which are constantly changing. A vital minimum and sliding scale for food are maintained, but statistics on employment and household income are not released.
At the beginning of 2002, the minimum wage was established at 1,050 manats (298 euros), the pension at 410 and the unemployment benefit at 390. However, those who have a job are forced to donate part of the money to various needs set from above. : maintenance work, ecological transition, agriculture, official press, public events and sports competitions.
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