March 2025: Palaw Preparation Costs Rise by 4.5%.
In March 2025, the average cost of preparing palaw in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan rose to 68.2 Turkmen manat, marking a 4.5% increase from 65.3 manat in March 2024. Compared to the previous month (February 2025), when the cost was 64.0 manat, this reflects a month-on-month rise of 6.6%. Globally, food prices also climbed, with the FAO’s Food Price Index reporting a 6.9% year-on-year increase.
Yearly Price Trends for Key Ingredients in Ashgabat
Prices of essential palaw ingredients in Ashgabat showed notable variations in March 2025. Rice experienced the sharpest decline, falling by 28.4% compared to the previous year. Carrot and sunflower oil prices also dropped, by 5.7% and 3.3% respectively. In contrast, prices for other ingredients rose significantly. Onion prices recorded the steepest increase at 22.3%, followed by beef at 19.6% and wheat flour at 15.9% (see Figure 1).
FAO Price Index: Global Trends by Product Category
- In March 2025, the FAO Vegetable Oil Price Index recorded a significant year-on-year increase of 23.9%, driven by tightening supplies from key exporting countries alongside sustained global import demand.
- Conversely, the FAO Cereal Price Index – which includes wheat and other major grains – fell by 1.1% compared to the previous year.
- The FAO All Rice Price Index also declined, down 1.7% year-on-year, as subdued import demand and ample exportable supplies continued to exert downward pressure on prices.
- Meanwhile, the FAO Meat Price Index saw a moderate rise, increasing by 2.7% compared to March 2024.
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.
