The Financial Monitoring Agency (FMA) has identified instances of price inflation for socially significant food products (SSFP) supplied to preschool organisations in Astana.
According to the agency's press service, companies that allowed the trade margin to be inflated have been brought to administrative responsibility.
"Together with the management of the Astana akimat's education department, a preventive discussion was held with 98 preschool organisations. As a result of the work carried out, kindergartens are concluding additional agreements, by mutual consent with SSFP suppliers, to reduce the total contract amount.", the statement says.
As a result, the FMA achieved price reductions in contracts for the supply of SSFP to 21 preschool institutions in the city. The savings amounted to over 31 million tenge.
Prices were reduced for the following items: carrots by 49% (from 336 to 170 tenge), potatoes by 40% (from 336 to 200 tenge), cabbage by 54% (from 370 to 170 tenge), onions by 45% (from 220 to 120 tenge).
Recall that previously, the FMA reduced the purchase price of food products in the SSFP basket in the East Kazakhstan Region. It was then discovered that the State Public Institution 'Centre for Supporting Children with Special Educational Needs' of the East Kazakhstan Region Education Department was purchasing SSFP at inflated prices from an entrepreneur. As a result, the purchase price for carrots was reduced by 35% (from 325 to 242 tenge), and for cabbage (from 380 to 238 tenge) by 60%.
Furthermore, in April last year, the FMA in the Karaganda Region identified an excess margin on eggs and reduced prices for potatoes. In addition, the agency identified inflated prices for sugar in Zhezkazgan, for rice in the Kyzylorda Region, for kefir in the Abai Region.
It also became known that in the Almaty Region, a supplier, purchasing bread at 140 tenge, supplied it to the Orphanage at 354 tenge (a markup of 153%).