Price of bread and bus fares will increase in Atyrau

By Zeena Urynbassarova

As of January 1, the price of “social" bread loaf will cost 80 tenge and more, warn Atyrau bakers. The fares for public transport in the city will be 80 tenge and on suburban routes - 100 tenge by the unanimous vote of the deputies of Atyrau Maslikhat.

According to Talgat Koshchanov, the head of “Asyl-nan" bakery, who represents all 11 bakeries in the city, they have no option, since the price of subsidized flour (67 tenge) now equaled the price of commercial flour (68 tenge).

In 2008 the local akimat (government) signed the memorandum with the bakeries and flour-mills that the state will provide to bakers subsidized flour for 47 tenge. In their turn the bakeries will sell bread for 45 tenge.

The bakers state that until the end of the year they will sell bread for the old price and as of next year they will let the bread price to “float freely". Then the bread price will be doubled.

At the beginning of November the Minister of Agriculture Asylzhan Mamytbekov announced that in Kazakhstan since January 1, 2016 subsidizing of social bread will be stopped because it hinders the development of bakery business: "Bread is baked on outdated equipment and investors are not in a hurry to improve its quality".

On November 19, the deputies of Atyrau Maslikhat unanimously voted for the increase of public transport fares from 50 to 80 tenge.

According to the authorities, the reason for fares increase was escalation of fuel prices, motor oil, cost of maintenance and service and spare parts.

The fares in city buses will be 80 tenge and on suburban routes - 100 tenge.