IFPRI CENTRAL ASIA NEWS WEEKLY DIGEST (JULY 21 – JULY 27, 2015)

News and Analysis

Turkmenistan completes harvesting campaign, gets over 1,400 million tons of wheat

(Turkmenistan.ru, 14 Jul 2015) Turkmenistan’s grain growers have completed the wheat-harvesting campaign and sold 1,400 million tons of grain through the state-owned procurement centers, reports the article. Moreover, the article also suggests that since the independence Turkmenistan has been able to increase its wheat production by 20 times becoming net exporter of wheat.

Kyrgyz Migrant Revenues Come at a Cost

(IWPR, 22 Jul 2015) The Institute for War and Peace Reporting article tells the increasing cost of remittances in Kyrgyzstan. Recognizing importance of remittances for local livelihoods and local economy in general, the author brings readers’ attention to a gender composition of labor migration, increasing cases of divorces, and social costs that divorced women have to incur. Aljazeera news agency had also conducted journalistic investigation on seasonal migration from Tajikistan and destruction of families.

Central Asia Floods Reawaken Glacier Anxieties

(Eurasianet, 23 Jul 2015) Floods across Central Asia over this past week are highlighting the perils of failing to adopt robust water-management measures and put adequate early-warning systems in place, suggests the article. Floods and mudslides have been apparently acute in the eastern Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region in Tajikistan and Almaty in Kazakhstan. Water levels in several rivers were dangerously high in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan because of fast melting glaciers, the article reports.

Interview: Climate Change in Central Asia

(The Diplomat, 23 Jul 2015) The Diplomat released its interview with Banjamin Orlove at Columbia University to discuss the impact of climate change in Central Asia.

Reliable and Affordable Heating is Essential to Everyday Life in Tajikistan

(World Bank Feature Story, 23 Jul 2015) What are the viable heating options for Tajikistan, where about 20-30 percent of residential and public heating demand are not met during cold seasons? And, what investment measures can be taken to meet heating demands in residential and public buildings? A recent World Bank Heating Assessment for the Urban Building Sector in Tajikistan aimed to find answers to similar questions, according to the featured story of the World Bank. Investment needs for Dushanbe and Khujand alone are estimated at around US$175 million in the next two years and over US$700 million over the medium- and long-term.

Kazakhstan Extends Visa-Free Program

(The Diplomat, 26 Jul 2015) Kazakhstan has extended its visa-free travel program to include 19 countries and will be in effect from July 16, 2015, until December 31, 2017. Originally introduced in 2014, the visa-free travel program was initially designed to run only one year and for ten countries. Moreover, Kazakhstan plans to allow 30-day visa-free visits for all 34 OECD countries, beginning January 1, 2017, with an extension applying to Malaysia, Singapore, and the United Arab Emirates as well, according to the sources.

Kazakhstan officially admitted into WTO

(DW, 27 Jul 2015) Kazakhstan’s accession to the WTO has been completed and ratification of the accession will make Kazakhstan 162th member of the organization according to the article and WTO news release. Kazakhstan will have until 31 October 2015 to ratify the deal to formally become a WTO member 30 days after it notifies the ratification to the WTO Director-General, according to the WTO accession rules.

Events

South-South Knowledge Exchange and Coordination Workshop

(22 – 24 July, 2015, Izmir, Turkey: IFAD and UNOSSC)  First South-South Knowledge Exchange and Coordination Workshop is organized in the framework of the partnership initiative on South-South and Triangular Cooperation for Agricultural Development and Enhanced Food Security (SSTC-ADFS) jointly supported by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC) in Izmir, Turkey. Representatives of technical cooperation agencies, ministries of agriculture and centers of excellence from Algeria, Hungary, Morocco, Turkey and Uzbekistan agreed to a number of joint actions and initiatives for transfer of successful homegrown solutions in agricultural development for enhanced food security.