Since the beginning of 2026, the Department of Trade and Consumer Rights Protection of the Karaganda region has intensified its work to prevent unjustified price increases for socially significant food products. Due to the expansion of the list of socially significant goods, explanatory events have been conducted for businesses. Control is carried out with an emphasis on prevention and prompt suppression of exceeding the 15% trade markup.

Since the beginning of the year, 15 entrepreneurs have been held accountable under Article 204-4 of the Administrative Offences Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan: 6 wholesale suppliers, 4 supermarkets, and 5 convenience stores. The total amount of fines amounted to 934 thousand tenge. Violations were established during the sale of milk, rice, chicken meat, sunflower oil, eggs, flour, salt, as well as for newly included apples, cucumbers, and tomatoes.

Additionally, 2 cases of violations under Article 193, Part 4 of the Administrative Offences Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan (non-compliance of price tags) were identified.

Thus, one entrepreneur was selling buckwheat groats for 370 tenge with a purchase price of 294 tenge. The trade markup amounted to 26%, which exceeds the established norm.

Another supplier purchased cabbage for 100 tenge per kilogram and sold it to retail chains for 135 tenge. The trade markup reached 35%. As a result of the work carried out, the price was reduced both by the wholesale supplier and in the retail chains.

Furthermore, among the goods included in the list of socially significant food products (SSFP), violations have been identified since the beginning of the year for items such as cucumbers, tomatoes, and apples. In particular, one entrepreneur purchased apples for 300 tenge per kilogram and sold them to retail chains for 710 tenge. The trade markup amounted to 136%.

All identified cases have resulted in the enterprises being held administratively liable. As a result of the measures taken, the final prices for consumers were reduced.

In addition, the measures taken have helped stabilize the price situation. For a number of items, a decrease compared to the previously established level has been recorded since the beginning of the year: rice - 93.1%, chicken - 92.0%, milk - 98.8%, apples - 98.3%, salt - 92.2%.

Monitoring of wholesale and retail prices, as well as analysis of electronic invoices, continues on an ongoing basis. The Department urges entrepreneurs to comply with legal requirements and citizens to report cases of price gouging through the E-Otinish platform.

Source : https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/mti/press/news/details/1163659?lang=kk