IFPRI CA NEWS DIGEST (FEBRUARY 8, 2017 – FEBRUARY 14, 2017)

News

Uzbek farmers offered lemon trees and chickens
(9 February 2017 Reuters) The government of Uzbekistan plans to provide 850,000 households with 100 chickens each and help 1.07 million households and small farms build greenhouses for 4.2 million trees. The cabinet plans to set up specialized companies that will first supply households with chickens and seedlings, then buy the eggs and lemons they produce for export.

Kazakh wheat exports to Sweden quadrupled
(2 February 2017 KazakhZerno) Kazakhstan exported 35.6 thousand tons of wheat to Sweden in 2016, 4 times the amount exported in 2015. The largest consumers of Kazakh wheat are now Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, China, Afghanistan, Iran, Italy, and Turkey.

U.S. government supports Tajikistan’s land reform efforts to increase agricultural productivity
(9 February 2017 Asia-Plus) On Wednesday February 8, U.S. Ambassador to Tajikistan Elisabeth Millard attended a launch ceremony for the new $9.7 million Feed the Future Tajikistan Land Market Development Activity Project. The project seeks to create a land market where farmers are able to buy, sell, and lease their agricultural land; promote a simple and transparent land registration process with equal access and rights for men and women; and build the capacity of local government officials, farmers, and other stakeholders, including civil society and land sector professionals.

FAO presents a new methodology for surveying dekhan households in Tajikistan
(10 February 2017 Asia-Plus) The new methodology will survey a sample of households monthly and all households annually, rather than surveying all households every time. This is expected to not only save time, money and resources, but also to increase effectiveness and data quality.

Kazakhstan wheat output forecast lowered
(11 February 2017 AKI Press) In a February 6 Global Agricultural Information Network report, the USDA’s Foreign Agriculture Service (FAS) said wheat production in Kazakhstan is now expected to total 15 million tons, down from an earlier forecast of 16.5 million tons, and compared with production of 13.748 million tons in 2015-16. Total grain production, meanwhile, is estimated at 20.6 million tons, up 10% from 2015-16.

Loans to farmers in Kyrgyzstan to amount to 7 billion soms in 2017
(14 February 2017 24.kg) According to Nurbek Murashev, the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Land Reclamation, 7 billion soms worth of loans will be issued to farmers in 2017. Of the total loan portfolio, 60 percent will be directed to livestock and 20 percent to the development of the processing industry and agriculture. In 2016, 4.8 million soms worth of loans were issued.

Exports of agricultural products in 2017 to amount to 500,000 tons
(14 February 2017 24.kg) According to Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Food and land Reclamation Erkinbek Choduev, agricultural exports in 2017 will total 500,000 tons, 50,000 tons more than in 2016.

150 tons of meat exported from Kyrgyzstan to Iran for 6 months
(14 February 2017 24.kg) At least 150 tons of mutton have been exported from Kyrgyzstan to Iran since July 2016. The goal for 2017 is to export over 350 tons.

Analysis

Kazakhstan may become the fourth largest exporter of lentils
(10 February 2017 KazakhZerno) Government projections estimate that in 2017, Kazakhstan will sow about 200,000 hectares of lentils, which will allow the country to become the fifth largest producer and fourth largest exporter of the crop.

Kazakh poultry farmers crowd out imports from the domestic market
(12 February 2017 KazakhZerno) Continuing modernization, as well as Western sanctions against Russia, have allowed Kazakhstan to greatly increase egg production and exports. The goal for 2017-2018 is to produce 300 million eggs.

Other Information

EBRD delegation visits Uzbekistan
(9 February 2017 EBRD) An EBRD delegation met with the Prime Minister, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, other ministers, and national and local government representatives, as well as members of the diplomatic, business and financial community. Discussions focused on strategic priorities of economic development and potential areas of cooperation, including support to small and medium-sized enterprises and improving the business environment in the country.

Tajikistan, Uzbekistan resume air flights after 25 years
(10 February 2017 Trend) Air connection between Dushanbe and Tashkent has been resumed for the first time since 1992. After years of virtually no commercial, political, and economic ties, relations between the two countries began to be restored in 2016.

Uzbekistan estimates the effect of import substitution at $2 billion in 2016
(14 February 2017 Times of Central Asia) In Uzbekistan, the estimated effect of import substitution reached $2.1 billion in 2016. Production of import substituting products grew in various sectors, including textile, clothes and leather goods (11.7% growth), food, beverages and tobacco products (10.8%), pharmaceuticals (23.9%), chemical products, rubber and plastic products (29.7%).

Kyrgyzstan’s National Bank reports on last year’s results
(14 February 2017 Times of Central Asia) In 2016, remittances totaled $1.634 billion, a 21.6 percent increase from 2015, when remittances were $1.344 billion. The 2015 figure was a 25.8 percent decrease from 2014’s remittance figure.

Kazakhstan issued over 36,000 work permits to foreign nationals last year
(14 February 2017 Times of Central Asia) In 2016, authorities in Kazakhstan issued 36,792 permits to employers for attracting foreign labor force (FLF) to work in the country, with a third of all foreign workers coming from China. The largest number of FLF came from China — 12,699 persons, Turkey (3,502), Uzbekistan (1,564), the UK (1,474), and India (1,388).

Publications

Tajikistan Jobs Diagnostic : Strategic Framework for Jobs
Valentina Strokova and Mohamed Ihsan Ajwad. World Bank.

The impact of migration and remittances on natural resources in Tajikistan
Igor Rubinov. Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR)

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.