June 2025: Palaw Preparation Costs Rise 16.3%.
In June 2025, the average cost of preparing palaw in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan climbed to 70.7 Turkmen manat, up 16.3% from 60.7 manat a year earlier. Compared with last month (May 2025), when the cost stood at 69.5 manat, this marks a 1.7% month-on-month increase. Globally, food prices also moved higher, with the FAO’s Food Price Index rising 5.8% year-on-year.
Annual Price Changes for Core Ingredients in Ashgabat
Prices for core palaw ingredients showed sharp fluctuations in June 2025. Rice recorded a steep decline, falling 27.1% compared with the previous year. In contrast, other essentials surged: onions skyrocketed by 241.6%, wheat flour rose 32.0%, beef increased 30.4%, carrots climbed 12.7%, and sunflower oil edged up by 0.2% (see Figure 1).
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FAO Price Index: Global Trends by Product Category
- According to the FAO, the Vegetable Oil Price Index in June 2025 rose 18.1% compared to the same period last year.
- Meanwhile, the FAO Cereal Price Index – which includes wheat and other staple grains – dropped 6.9% year-on-year.
- The FAO Meat Price Index posted a 6.5% year-on-year increase. Bovine meat prices reached a new record high globally, fueled by strong demand and limited export supplies from major producers.
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.
