Almaty food prices diverge as the social basket stays stable

Tomatoes in Almaty supermarkets rose by 100 tenge per kilogram to 899 tenge in the latest month-on-month checks, while the overall cost of a basket of socially significant food products (SZPT) remained stable. The chain-retail monitoring recorded divergent moves across vegetables, meat, groceries and dairy, and lamb has been absent from shelves for several days.

The inbusiness.kz monitoring summary stated: “The overall cost of the social food basket for the consumer remains stable.” Unit prices moved in opposite directions, with sugar and onions cheaper but several vegetables and beef categories more expensive. The monitoring did not provide a numerical basket total.

What changed in the vegetable section?

Compared with the previous month, seven produce items moved as follows:

• Tomatoes rose by 100 tenge per kilogram, from 799 to 899 tenge.
• Cucumbers increased from 555 to 799 tenge per kilogram.
• Potatoes rose by 19 tenge per kilogram, from 202 to 221 tenge.
• Carrots edged up by 1 tenge per kilogram, from 198 to 199 tenge.
• Cabbage climbed from 118 to 156 tenge per kilogram.
• Onions fell from 122 to 108 tenge per kilogram.
• Apples remained unchanged at 499 tenge per kilogram.

How did meat and fish prices move?

Meat supply and pricing diverged across the counter:

• Lamb has been unavailable on supermarket shelves for several days.
• Horse meat fell from 8,199 to 7,820 tenge per kilogram, while fresh sazan dropped from 3,300 to 3,080 tenge per kilogram.
• Frozen chicken thighs decreased from 1,797 to 1,700 tenge per kilogram; fresh chicken thighs fell from 1,829 to 1,599 tenge.
• Beef increased from 5,900 to 6,490 tenge per kilogram.
• Frozen chickens rose from 1,629 to 1,679 tenge per kilogram, and chilled chicken increased from 1,699 to 1,869 tenge.
• Frozen chicken drumsticks climbed from 1,519 to 1,799 tenge per kilogram.
• Beef brisket held at 3,990 tenge per kilogram, beef mince at 4,690 tenge per kilogram, and chilled chicken drumsticks at 1,669 tenge per kilogram. Grade 1 chicken eggs remained at 1,829 tenge per 30 eggs.

Did groceries become cheaper?

Prices for social-category groceries remained broadly stable, with sugar recording the clearest decline:

• Loose rice cost 348 tenge per kilogram, macaroni 278 tenge per kilogram, and buckwheat 365 tenge per kilogram.
• A social-category moulded bread loaf cost 130 tenge, a two-kilogram pack of first-grade flour cost 608 tenge, and a one-litre bottle of sunflower oil remained at 841 tenge.
• Loose granulated sugar fell from 415 tenge per kilogram at the end of September to 385 tenge in mid-October. Its current price stands at 378 tenge per kilogram.
• A 250-gram pack of black tea decreased from 1,009 to 999 tenge.
• Salt was the only grocery item in this category to rise, with a one-kilogram pack increasing from 89 to 105 tenge.

What happened to milk and dairy products?

Dairy prices also moved in opposite directions:

• A pack of kefir increased from 469 to 499 tenge.
• A pack of 2.5% milk fell from 429 to 425 tenge.
• A 180-gram pack of butter with 72.5% fat decreased from 529 to 519 tenge.
• Sour cream remained at 918 tenge per one-kilogram pack, cheese at 5,259 tenge per kilogram, and cottage cheese at 939 tenge per 500-gram pack.

What does this change for Almaty shoppers?

The practical answer is a stable basket alongside volatile shelves. Shoppers buying tomatoes, cucumbers, potatoes, cabbage, beef, kefir or salt face higher unit prices; buyers of sugar, onions, horse meat, fresh sazan and selected chicken cuts pay less.

Lower prices in those categories offset increases elsewhere, supporting the stable basket assessment. Lamb presents an availability issue rather than a comparable shelf-price movement: buyers cannot assess its current price because supermarkets have not listed it for several days.