Uzbekistan: Traders Protest Bazaar Rent Increases

Traders at the Siob Bazaar in Samarkand are on strike in protest against new tariffs imposed by the local government.

According to a report distributed by opposition website Uznews.net, rents and costs for services that traders use in the market, such as renting weights or even paying for use of toilets, have skyrocketed since March 5.

"Under the new decision, if [the cost of] one trading point per day was 800 soms, it is now 2,400, those who sell dried fruit, must pay 8,400 soms, and butchers pay even more - 11,000," Uznews.net reported on March 9. [One US dollars is worth 1,543 sums at the official exchange rate, although the black market rate is significantly higher]. Similar hikes were also introduced at markets in Andijan causing traders to pass on the expense to consumers. The cost food stuffs reportedly rose by 10 percent within days of the additional charges for rent.