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Central Asia and Caucasus Regional Nutrition Capacity Development and Partnership Platform commits to eliminate double burden of malnutrition
The eight countries of Central Asia and the Caucasus will support the Regional Nutrition Capacity Development and Partnership Platform launched by UNICEF, WHO, FAO, and WFP. The program will focus on food security and nutrition in the region, including malnutrition in all its forms including stunting, obesity, and micronutrient deficiency. UNICEF estimates that the prevalence of child obesity in Central Asia to be the second highest globally. Program partners also hope to address child diet and feeding practices during the first years of life. - UNICEF
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Tajikistan slaps restrictions on imports from Uzbekistan
Local media are reporting that Tajik authorities are imposing restrictions on the amount of goods its citizens are allowed carry across the border from Uzbekistan. According to Uzbek website Podrobno.uz, specific limits have been set on meat, baked goods, and rice in addition to a total weight cap of 40 kilograms. It was reported that large amounts of Uzbek food products were being resold in Tajik markets after the border was opened. The article suggests that regional governments are growing wary about the ramifications of increased cross-border trade for their local businesses. - EurasiaNet, Podrobno.uz
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Investments in food production rise in Kazakhstan
Investments in food production have reached 38.2 billion tenge ($112 million) in the first five months of 2018, representing a doubling from last year's figure over the same period. Most investments were directed to the Almaty (31.3 percent of total investment) and Kostanay (14.9 percent) regions. - AzerNews
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"High-Level International Conference on International Decade for Action 'Water for Sustainable Development' 2018-2028" concludes in Tajikistan
A two-day international conference on water management concluded on June 21 in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. The conference was organized by the government of Tajikistan and several international agencies. The conference featured the participation of the Tajikistan's President Emomali Rahmon, Afghanistan's Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah, the presidents of Pakistan and Turkmenistan, and officials of international organizations such as the World Bank. - Wsdconf2018.org, TOLOnews, Geo, Turkmenistan.ru, World Bank
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Remittances from Russia to Tajikistan increase 15 percent in first quarter
Russia's central bank reported that transfers from Russia to Tajikistan totaled approximately $487 million in the first quarter of this year, representing a 15 percent increase from Q1 2017. This places Tajikistan second among former Soviet republics behind Uzbekistan in terms of remittance volume from Russia. - Asia-Plus
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Kazakhstan to facilitate farmers' access to agricultural loans
Joint-stock companies KazakhExport and the Agricultural Credit Corporation will jointly guarantee farmers' loans, following the signing of regulations on the financing of agricultural enterprises. According to the regulations, the loan process for farmers will be simplified and expedited through the Agricultural Credit Corporation, after which KazakhExport will make decisions regarding the provision of insurance for projects. - Trend News Agency
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Uzbekistan intends to export $1.5 billion worth of fruits and vegetables 
Director-general of Uzagroexport Sultan Nazarov declared that Uzbekistan intends to export $1.5 billion worth of horticulture. No timeline for the figure was specified in the article, but Nazarov reported that Uzbekistan broke records in May by exporting 120,000 tons of products worth about $150 million. While most fruits and vegetable exports continue to go to traditional markets in Kazakhstan and Russia, Uzbek products are on the verge of also entering lucrative markets in East Asia, the Middle East, and the West. - AzerNews
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It's raining salt: toxic Aral Sea storm sparks health fears in Central Asia
Radio Free Europe's Uzbek service reports that parts of western Uzbekistan and northern Turkmenistan are recovering from a severe salt storm that is believed to have originated in dried areas formerly part of the Aral Sea. The three-day storm started on May 26 and covered fields with a mixture of salt and sand. While salt storms are not uncommon in the Aral Sea area, the scale of this week's event was larger than usual. - Radio Free Europe
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ADB $145 million loan to help improve water supply services in Uzbekistan
The ADB's Board of Directors has approved a $145 million loan to help improve water supply and sanitation services in the Republic of Karakalpakstan, an autonomous republic within Uzbekistan. The funds will benefit 388,000 residents through improvements to local water supply networks, institutional capacity, and climate resilience awareness. Poor water supply is a problem in Karakalpakstan: only 37 percent of households in the proposed project area are connected to the centralized water network; of those, 40 percent receive water for less than six hours per week. - ADB
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IMF statement following mission to Uzbekistan
The International Monetary Fund released a statement following a consultative visit to Uzbekistan. According to the IMF, Uzbekistan needs comprehensive tax reform and tightened fiscal and monetary policies to follow up on its efforts to liberalize the economy. The Uzbek government is considering further reforms including restructuring state enterprises in the coming year. - IMF
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Uzbekistan implements the IMF's Enhanced General Data Dissemination System
Uzbekistan is now publishing critical macroeconomic and financial data through its National Summary Data Page, following the recommendations of the IMF's Enhanced General Data Dissemination System (e-GDDS). The webpage aims to be a one-stop platform for essential macroeconomic data and is housed on the State Statistics Committee's website. - IMF, State Statistics Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan
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Investments in Central Asia
Asian Development Bank will be investing 5 billion US dollars into the Central Asian Regional Economic Cooperation Program until 2020. 11 countries (Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, People's Republic of China, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Mongolia, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan) participating in the program will receive funds for further development of the region's infrastructure and improvement of its transport and energy potential. – Kazakh TV
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World Bank: remittances to countries in Europe and Central Asia grew 21 percent in 2017
Remittances to countries in Europe and Central Asia grew 21 percent in 2017 after three consecutive years of decline, according to the World Bank's latest Migration and Development Brief. It attributes this trend to stronger economic growth and employment prospects in the eurozone, Russia, and Kazakhstan in addition to the appreciation of the euro and ruble against the U.S. dollar. Growth in remittances is expected to slow to 6 percent this year, mirroring the stabilization of the region's economies. - Asia-Plus
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ADB: productive employment needed to boost growth in Tajikistan
The Asian Development Bank's Development Outlook 2018 projects Tajikistan's GDP growth to reach 6.0 percent in 2018 and 6.5 percent in 2019. ADB Tajikistan country director Pradeep Srivastava further commented that Tajikistan needs to undertake structural reforms in order to fully take advantage of its demographic dividend. - The Financial [Read more...]

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Dutch company to build potato processing plant in Kazakhstan's Almaty region
The Dutch company Farm Frites, one of the world's largest potato-processing companies, will build a plant in the Almaty region next year. The proposed plant, whose cost is estimated at $165 million, will focus on eleven elite potato varieties and is expected to process approximately 70,000 tons per year. The Netherlands has been the largest foreign investor in Kazakhstan, accounting for nearly 30 percent of total foreign investment. "Farm Frites Eurasia" will join nearly 950 other Kazakh-Dutch joint enterprises currently in operation and represents growing Dutch interest in the country's agrobusiness potential. - Astana Times
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Uzbekistan to reduce cotton export
On a working visit to the Jizzakh region, Uzbek president Shavkat Mirziyoyev announced plans to reduce the export of raw cotton and increase processing in the domestic market. Uzbekistan is currently the world’s sixth-largest cotton producer, even after an 8 percent decrease in production in 2017. One of Uzbekistan’s policy goals is to develop its domestic textile industry in order to provide domestic employment opportunities and increase value-added production. – MENAFN, Innovation in Textiles
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Remittances to Central Asia surge but fall short of historic highs
New data from Russia’s Central Bank show that remittances to Central Asian countries continued their positive trajectories in 2017. Remittances to Kyrgyzstan reached an all-time high of $2.21 billion last year. Two non-Eurasian Economic Union countries, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, saw 31 and 42 percent increases in remittances from the previous year, respectively. However, their totals fell far shy of previous records set in 2013. Of the three major migrant-sending nations in Central Asia, only Kyrgyzstan is a member of the Eurasian Economic Union, giving its citizens stronger legal rights to work in Russia. – EurasiaNet [Read more...]

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Vegetable oil production launches in East Kazakhstan region
Tag-Tin, a Kazakh food company, is planning to open a sunflower and rapeseed processing plant using state financing earmarked for domestic producers. The new factory will be the second of its kind in Kazakhstan, which is looking to export processed oil made from the two crops. A local trade group official noted that sunflower and rapeseed oil are in great demand in China. Kazakh oil processors serve the domestic market but are unable to meet local demand and compete largely with Russian products. – Astana Times
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Uzbekistan drops objections to giant Tajik hydro project
In a landmark reversal of a longstanding strategic policy, Uzbekistan declared that it will support Tajikistan’s Rogun Dam project. On his first visit to Tajikistan since entering office, Uzbek president Shavkat Mirziyoyev announced that his government will drop its objections to what is projected to become the world’s tallest dam. Tajikistan views Rogun as a solution to its recurring energy problems and a potential revenue source, while Uzbekistan had long opposed it over fears that it would disrupt the flow of irrigation water. The diplomatic breakthrough follows months of speculation and a gradual re-opening of commercial ties between the two countries. – Reuters
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Uzbekistan to enter IMF's data system
The State Statistics Committee of Uzbekistan announced that it will join the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) General Data Dissemination System (p-GDDS) by the coming May, which will give foreign investors, companies, and financial institutions full access to various economic data following accepted international standards. The move is intended to attract foreign investors, who have had to rely on questionable official data. Uzbekistan’s statistics committee has been under pressure to reform by the current presidential administration. – AzerNews [Read more...]