Project overview:

Available food price information in Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan is not easily accessible, hindering the ability of the countries and the international community to analyse food price trends with a view to making timely policy decisions and interventions.

The countries would benefit greatly from the development of a national food price database and analytical instrument, based on the existing FAO/GIEWS price tool, which covers selected commodities and markets in each country. The web-based national food price tool would expand the coverage and facilitate the analysis of food price data at country level. The dissemination of national price information would also facilitate data-sharing among countries of the subregion and the harmonization of policies.

The project thus aimed to provide the countries with a Price Monitoring and Analysis Tool as well as the technical capacity to use and maintain it effectively. The expected outcome of the project was improved national capacities to better monitor and analyse food price information for the adoption of policy measures to manage food crises at country and regional levels.

Under the project, the price tool was adapted and installed in all beneficiary countries and operationalized in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. The tool improved the national capacities of the beneficiary countries in monitoring and analysis of food price information in support of evidence-based policy decisions, albeit to varying degrees in the three countries.