DUSHANBE, December 20, Asia-Plus - The Ministry of Finance (MoF) expects an average annual inflation rate to have been 11.7 percent by the end of the year.

A source at a MoF said that inflation will be affected mainly by the rising prices of food products.

According to the source, experts last year expected the average annual inflation rate to have been 6 percent this year.  In September, specialists reviewed their prognosis and predicted that the annual average inflation rate for this year will be 10 percent.  However, inflation has exceeded the anticipated rate of 10 percent and, as of December 1, amounted to 11.1 percent.  Last year, an average inflation was 7.1 percent.  

In January-November 2006, prices of basic food products have increased on average by 11.9 percent.  Non-foodstuffs have risen in cost by 4.8 percent over the same eleven-month period.  Over the past eleven months, the prices of services rendered to the population have increased by 19 percent.