DUSHANBE, May 11, 2011, Asia-Plus  -- By mayor’s decision 20 Dushanbe’s entrepreneurs dealing with butchery yesterday received 50,000 somoni interest-free loan each, Shavkat Saidov, a spokesman for the Dushanbe mayor’s office, said.

According to him, Tojikmatloubot (consumers'' cooperative association) and the state unitary enterprise, Dushanbe’s Markets and Trade, also received interest-free loans -- a 2 million somoni loan was given to Tojikmatloubot and a 1 million somoni loan was given to Dushanbe’s Markets and Trade.

“These funds have been provided to stabilize the meat prices at the city’s bazaars,” said the spokesman, “Our specialists expect the meat prices in Dushanbe to fully become stable beginning on the middle of next week.”

We will recall that issues related to reduction in prices for some basic food products at local bazaars were a major topic of a meeting of the Dushanbe mayor’s office that took place at the end of last week.

Taking into account the findings of monitoring conducted at the city’s bazaars, the Dushanbe municipal government reportedly called on market traders to lower the prices they charge for flour and meats, following a spike in prices of basic food products.

Merchants running butcher’s shops at local bazaars have been recommended to sell beef at no more than 23.00 somoni per one kilogram and lamb at no more than 24.00 somoni per one kilogram.

The beef and lamb prices rose at the end of last week to 27 and 28 somoni per kilogram, an increase of some 33 percent.