New FAO tool allows Uzbekistan to monitor and analyse food prices

Timely information on food prices and markets is important for agricultural development, especially for smallholders and food producers. In this regard, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and Westminster International University in Tashkent have launched today an instrument for monitoring and analysing food prices in Uzbekistan – a web-based tool to facilitate the dissemination and analysis of food price data from the country.

The tool offers an easy way to access a large amount of food price data. It allows users to quickly browse single price series; create comparisons among countries, markets and commodities; and download charts, data and basic statistics focusing on Uzbekistan, such as averages, standard deviations and percentage changes.

The global version of the tool was developed by FAO in 2010. Building on that development experience and success, the international Food Price Monitoring and Analysis Tool has been adapted for use at the country level. Being the first one among the countries of Europe and Central Asia, the national version for Uzbekistan contains a broader selection of commodities and markets than the global version.

“The food price monitoring and analysis tool for Uzbekistan is available in three languages – Uzbek, English and Russian,” said FAO economist Fang Cheng, “and it also supports the government in implementing the Agriculture Development Strategy for 2020–2030.”

Reliable market information will increase transparency and competitiveness and ensure a more equitable distribution of income among key players in the food value chain. It also will support poverty reduction and promote economic growth and sustainable consumption and production.

As of today, the tool includes data on 77 food commodities from the dehkan, Central wholesale market in Tashkent, from January 2019 onwards.

Westminster International University is the first FAO partner to successfully install the country-level tool “on the premises.” The tool is hosted and maintained by the university’s Center for Policy Research and Outreach, which collaborates with the State Committee on Statistics and other national ministries and agencies on getting access to data and has started collecting data from the local retail market.

With this launch, the food price monitoring and analysis tool and database become a valuable public good for providing national and international community members and decision-makers with timely and reliable price information. The price data can be used by a wide range of national institutions and international organizations and representatives of academia and the media.

16 December 2022, Tashkent, Uzbekistan