January 2025: Palaw Preparation Costs rise 0.5%.
In January 2025, the average cost of preparing palaw in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, increased to 62.3 Turkmen manat, reflecting a 0.5% rise from 62.0 manat in January 2024. This also represents a 1.0% increase from December 2024, when the cost stood at 61.7 manat. Meanwhile, global food prices surged by 6.2% during the same period, according to the FAO’s Food Price Index.
Annual Price Changes of Key Ingredients in Ashgabat
The prices of key palaw ingredients in Ashgabat fluctuated significantly in January 2025. Rice experienced the most substantial decline, dropping 40.0% year-on-year, while sunflower oil saw a slight decrease of 1.9%. In contrast, the prices of other ingredients increased over the year. Beef registered the highest surge, rising by 20.2%. Carrot and wheat flour prices climbed by 7.0%, while onion prices rose by 15.5% (see Figure 1).
FAO Price Index: Global Trends by Product Category
- The FAO Vegetable Oil Price Index surged by 24.9% year-on-year in January 2025.
- The FAO Cereal Price Index, covering wheat and other grains, declined by 6.9% year-on-year.
- The FAO All Rice Price Index dropped by 4.7% in January, driven by ample exportable supplies and strong competition among exporters.
- Lastly, the FAO Meat Price Index recorded an 8.1% year-on-year increase.
Methodology
Prices of ingredients in the Palaw Index are collected for 1 kg of onion, carrot, beef, rice, and flour, and 1 liter of cooking oil. Based on the methodology, in order to cook palaw for a family of four, we use 0.3 liters of cooking oil, 0.5 kg of onion, 1 kg of carrots, 0.6 kg of beef, 1 kg of rice, and 0.5 kg of flour in our formula. Please click here to learn more about the methodology of the Palaw Index.
