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Consumer services' prices reported up 75.8 percent last year

Consumer services' prices in Belarus increased by 75.8 percent on average last year, Deputy Trade Minister Iryna Narkevich told reporters in Minsk on Monday.

The prices of consumer services jumped by 94 percent in the Homyel region, she said.

According to Ms. Narkevich, the volume of consumer services totaled some 5.9 trillion rubels (about $686,047 at the current exchange rate) in 2012, or 500,000 rubels per capita.

The per capita volume of consumer services was 260,000 rubels in rural areas, up from 125,900 rubels in 2011.

A total of 15,000 economic entities provide consumer services in Belarus, with 24 percent of them operating in rural areas. "There is at least one organization that provides at least 11 consumer services in each of the country's 118 districts," Ms. Narkevich said.

The government projects the volume of consumer services to increase by 12 percent this year, including by 7.5 percent in rural areas. //BelaPAN