DUSHANBE, March 17, 2011, Asia-Plus  -- Prices of products of food industry rose 2.0 percent in a month to February 28, according to the Agency for Statistics under the President of Tajikistan.

Last month, prices rose 41 percent for cabbages, 6 percent for apples, 5.0 percent for milk, 4 percent for wheat flour grade 1, 3.0 percent for cooking (cotton) oil, and 2.5 percent for macaroni foods and half-finished meat products each.

Over the first two months of this year, a 4.5 percent rise in prices of food products has been reported in Tajikistan.  The increase in cost of products of the food industry over the report period has reportedly been caused by the 2-fold rise in prices of cabbages, 32 percent rise in carrot prices, 24 percent in onion prices, 7.7 percent in prices of wheat flour grade 1 and 24 percent rise in prices of potatoes.

An inflation rate in the consumer sector for February was estimated at 1.3 percent and inflation for the first two months of the year reportedly stood at 3.3 percent.

In the meantime, the cost of the set of food products included in the consumer basket for actual consumption in prices as of the end of February 2011 was 119.79 somoni (equivalent to US$26.90) per one family member per month, and with the norm for a balanced diet it was 228.77 somoni (equivalent to some US$51.40), the Agency for Statistics reported.