Probable size of the minimum consumer basket, subsistence minimum determined 

Today, July 22, at the conference hall of the Agency for Information and Mass Communications, a press conference was held with participation of the Minister of Economy and Industry Botir Khodjayev on the theme “Social-economic situation in the country, methods of calculating the consumer basket and the subsistence minimum”, Kun.uz correspondent reports. 

During the event, Botir Khodjayev spoke about the method of calculating the consumer basket and the subsistence minimum in Uzbekistan.

“The amount of the consumer basket is about 650,000 soums. At the same time, the subsistence minimum is about 800,000 soums. This is the result of test research, which is conducted by a survey method. You should understand that this is not a direct government statistical work. The process also considers statistical data, and the parameters are formed on this basis.

If we talk about the consumer basket, we are talking about things that are necessary for a person. There is no mention of automobiles or expensive equipment. Once again I want to note that the data were obtained as a result of test studies. It would be more correct if all our indicators are observed in the context of regions. In addition, there are expenses of retirees and other categories of persons. Therefore, it is important to take into account segments of the population,” the Minister said. 

Botir Khodjayev also stated that the consumer basket was formed in collaboration with the Ministry of Healthcare, and it will be introduced after some time.

“We have begun the testing process in January 2019. In order for the numbers to be identical and confirmed, we need a year or a year and a half,” he noted.

It should be recalled that in June 2018, a draft resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers “On approval of the Regulation on the procedure for calculating the minimum consumer basket and the subsistence minimum in the Republic of Uzbekistan” was published on the portal of discussing normative-legal acts.

Then the draft document stated that the procedure for calculating the minimum consumer basket and the subsistence minimum would be developed by the Ministry of Economy, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Healthcare and the State Statistics Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan.