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The President of Turkmenistan, Serdar Berdymukhammedov, has ordered that 60 manats ($3 at the black market rate) be given to the women of the country in honor of International Women's Day. This was reported by TDH.
This decision was made in recognition of the "significant contribution of women to the development of the country, to the formation of a patriotic, healthy, and inspired generation, as well as to the preservation of the noble traditions of ancestors regarding the reverence for mothers and sisters in a new era of state prosperity."
The gifts will be distributed from March 2 to March 6 to women who:
▪️ work in enterprises and organizations of any form of ownership;
▪️ receive pensions or state benefits;
▪️ study in graduate school, doctoral studies, and clinical residency with a break from work;
▪️ are students of the courses at the Academy of State Service under the President of Turkmenistan, where the duration of study is at least two years;
▪️ study in schools and higher educational institutions;
▪️ attend preschool educational institutions.
This gift of 60 manats in honor of March 8 has been given to the women of Turkmenistan for the seventh consecutive year, despite a significant increase in prices for food and goods that has occurred since 2019. For example, in March 2019, a kilogram of beef cost 22 manats, while by January 2026, the price had risen to 110 manats. The price of locally produced apples increased from 6 to 26 manats per kilogram.
Before the gift amount reached 60 manats, it was 40 manats ($11.4 at the official rate) in 2019.
Since 2019, the minimum wage in Turkmenistan has increased from 790 manats to 1410 manats in 2025; however, there was no increase in 2026. In September 2025, one of the elders called for the cessation of payment increases, stating that "the social and living conditions of the population have reached a high level."
Since 2015, the official exchange rate of the manat has remained stable at 3.5 manats per dollar. At the same time, the real exchange rate on the black market is 19.5 manats per dollar. Thus, the gift amount of 60 manats is equivalent to not $17 at the official rate, but only $3 at the real rate.
