IFPRI CA NEWS DIGEST (MARCH 22, 2017 – MARCH 28, 2017)

News
30 tons of cabbage returned to Kyrgyzstan from Kazakhstan
(25 March 2017 24.kg) 30 tons of cabbage and 2 tons of potatoes were returned to Kyrgyzstan from Kazakhstan because they were imported without the required phytosanitary certificates.

Turkmenistan expects to harvest 81,000 tons of rice in 2017
(27 March 2017 AKI Press) The President of Turkmenistan has signed a resolution on the rice harvest of 2017. According to the resolution 18,300 hectares of land will be sowed to produce an expected output of 81,600 tons of rice, primarily in the main rice producing regions of Dashoguz and Lebap.

47 Kyrgyz food industry enterprises can sell their products in EEU
(28 March 2017 24.kg) 27 food industry enterprises of Kyrgyzstan can now export their products to the countries of the EEU. Until recently only 18 enterprises had been included in the EEU’s unified register. The Kyrgyz government is also working to expand its exports to China.

Other Information
Remittances sent by labor migrants from Russia to Tajikistan and Uzbekistan falling
(27 March 2017 Asia-Plus) Remittances from Russia to Uzbekistan fell from $3 billion in 2015 to $2.74 billion in 2016. Remittances sent to Tajikistan fell from $2.2 billion in 2015 to $1.9 billion in 2016. In Kyrgyzstan, remittances actually increased from $1.5 billion in 2015 to $1.7 billion in 2016.

Kyrgyzstan to develop country’s regions
(27 March 2017 Times of Central Asia) The government of Kyrgyzstan has approved a Concept of the country’s regional development policy for 2018-2022. Its main goals are to form economic centers and growth points for increasing the economic activity of the population; to develop specialization of the country’s regions and establish economic clusters; to create the necessary conditions for provision of quality public services in the regions; and to form an individual approach to the development of each region.

Another EU mission on GSP+ visits Kyrgyzstan to help increase Kyrgyz export
(28 March 2017 Times of Central Asia) The European Union continues to offer significant support to trade facilitation activities in Central Asia by funding a technical assistance mission on GSP+ in Bishkek on March 28-31 within the framework of Border Management Programme in Central Asia (BOMCA).

Publications
Global Food Policy Report 2017
International Food Policy Research Institute

Human Development Report 2016: Human Development for Everyone
United Nations.

Setting up the agenda for water reforms in Central Asia: Does the nexus approach help?
Iskandar Abdullaev, Shavkat Rakhmatullaev. Environmental Earth Sciences.

Events
Social Cohesion: Concept, Implementation and Impact Evaluation (announcements in English; Russian)

Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) and University of Central Asia (UCA). Summer school to be held 11-18 June 2017 in Issyk-Kul, Kyrgyzstan. Researchers, primarily young professors, PhD students, development practitioners, and policy analysts from government, international agencies and civil society organizations based in Central Asia are encouraged to apply. Applications due April 5.

Archived issues of the news digest can be found on the Central Asia page under the ReSAKSS Asia website: http://resakss-asia.org/regions/central-asia.  A link to the newsletter can be found under Blog Posts.

The articles included in this news digest have been generated from online sources. Any opinions stated herein are not representative of, or endorsed by, the International Food Policy Research Institute or its partners.