Agriculture in Tajikistan
Tajikistan's agriculture is characterized by two farming systems determined by its geography, where potato and wheat farming, along with horticulture is taking place in the country's uplands, while irrigated cotton dominates in lowlands.[2]
Agricultural output in Tajikistan is hampered by the relatively small amount of arable land, lack of investments into infrastructure, farm machinery, and equipment. [2] The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) laments the "lack of technical knowledge among small livestock holders, poor governance arrangements on pasture management, inefficient management of community livestock, shortage of feed during winter months, environmental degradation, and lack of access to good-quality fodder seed" as considerable obstacles to farming and livestock development as well.[2]
Agricultural production
Tajikistan produced in 2018:
- 964 thousand tons of potato;
- 778 thousand tons of wheat;
- 680 thousand tons of onion;
- 641 thousand tons of watermelon;
- 443 thousand tons of tomato;
- 356 thousand tons of carrot;
- 308 thousand tons of vegetable;
- 300 thousand tons of cotton;
- 241 thousand tons of grape;
- 238 thousand tons of apple;
- 237 thousand tons of maize;
- 211 thousand tons of cucumber;
- 116 thousand tons of cabbage;
- 108 thousand tons of barley;
- 90 thousand tons of rice;
In addition to smaller productions of other agricultural products, like apricot (31 thousand tons). [5]
After decades of steady agricultural growth during the Soviet period, with the volume of agricultural output trebling between 1960 and 1988, independent Tajikistan, similarly to most CIS countries, suffered a precipitous transition decline as the index of Gross Agricultural Output (GAO) dropped by 55% between 1991 and 1997. Agricultural production has shown remarkable recovery since 1997 and today GAO is almost back to the 1991 level after more than doubling from the lowest point in 1997.[1]
Animals raised in Tajikistan include (in descending order of importance) chickens, cattle, sheep, goats, and horses. Beef, mutton, and poultry are the most important meat products; cow's milk, goat's milk, cheese, and wool are also important. Silk production exists, but remains a comparatively minor industry.
Land resources
Only 28% of Tajikistan's territory of 14.3 million
Arable agriculture in Tajikistan relies heavily on irrigation. The irrigated area increased steadily during the Soviet period from 300,000 hectares in 1950 to 714,000 hectares in 1990, on the eve of independence. There has been little expansion of irrigation after 1990, and the irrigated area in 2006 is 724,000 hectares. Nearly 70% of arable land is irrigated.
The irrigation systems of Tajikistan cover 737,700 ha of land, of which 300,000 ha are zones of machine irrigation. They are subdivided into 4 categories according to the technical equipment: (1) modern irrigational systems (282,000 ha), (2) irrigation systems with main channels without anti-filtration cover and the lack of hydrotechnical facilities (202,000 ha), (3) irrigation systems with rehabilitated networks and large main channels (200,000 ha), (4) irrigation systems which are not adequately equipped (53,700 ha). Pumping stations serve 40% of the irrigated areas, 64% of which are in the
Changing farm structure
Up to 1991, agriculture in Tajikistan (then
Recent developments
In November 2004, Deputy Prime Minister of Agriculture Qozidavlat Qoimdodov noted that economic growth and enhancement of quality of agricultural output were the key components of the national policy of Tajikistan. According to him, dehqan farms (farming units) had been established in all districts of the republic and 75,000 hectares of land has been distributed to farmers under his regime.[9] However, dehqan farmers have proved reluctant to split off from the collective unit due to high costs and administrative complexities.[7]
In March 2008, the International Monetary Fund announced that Tajikistan had drawn between 2004 and 2006 more than US$47 million from the Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility on the basis of inaccurate information regarding government debt and National Bank reserves.[10] The National Bank of Tajikistan had guaranteed loans to the cotton sector, thus increasing government obligations without telling the IMF. The IMF ordered the country to repay this amount in six monthly installments during 2008–2009, while taking action to improve and strengthen the monitoring of data reported to the Fund. BBC reports an IMF source characterizing this as one of the worst cases of misreporting to the Fund.[11]
In November, 2011 the Government of Japan provided support for enhancement of agrarian and education sector in the northern province of Sughd, Tajikistan. The project was reportedly implemented under the framework of Japan's Grant Assistance for the Grassroots Human Security Projects (GGP) with the amount of US$113,539.[12]
In recent years Tajikistan's economy has become heavily dependent on China, as part of the latter country's massive
In 2021, the World Bank started a new project in collaboration with the country's Ministry of Agriculture to support the development of seed and planting material, along with research projects and the development of public sector management capabilities.[16]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d Tajikistan: 15 Years of Independence, statistical yearbook, State Statistical Committee of the Republic of Tajikistan, Dushanbe, 2006, in Russian
- ^ a b c d "Tajikistan". IFAD. Retrieved 2021-09-03.
- ^ Narodnoe khozyaistvo SSSR v 1990 g., Statistical Yearbook of the USSR for 1990, Moscow, 1991, in Russian
- ^ GNI per capita 2006, Atlas method and PPP, World Development Indicators database, World Bank, 14 September 2007.
- ^ Tajikistan production in 2018, by FAO
- ^ a b c d e Agriculture in Tajikistan, statistical yearbook, State Statistical Committee of the Republic of Tajikistan, Dushanbe, 2007, in Russian.
- ^ a b "SECTOR ASSESSMENT (SUMMARY): AGRICULTURE AND NATURAL RESOURCES" (PDF). Asian Development Bank. 2016. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-09-03.
- ^ "World Bank Promised $46 mln to Improve Irrigation in Khatlon District of Tajikistan". The Gazette of Central Asia. Satrapia. 3 December 2012.
- ^ "Government considers draft budget for 2004". Embassy of Tajikistan in the United States of America. Archived from the original on July 9, 2008. Retrieved January 22, 2009.
- ^ IMF Press Release 08/43, March 5, 2008.
- ^ BBC News: Asia-Pacific, retrieved 4 April 2008. [dead link]
- ^ "Agriculture in the Black Sea Region, Tajikistan: Japan supports enhancement of agrarian and education sectors in Sughd". Archived from the original on 2016-01-18. Retrieved 2013-11-28.
- ^ Richard Foltz, A History of the Tajiks: Iranians of the East, London: Bloomsbury, 2019, p. 164.
- ^ a b "Improving Tajikistan's Potato Harvest: Saidrahmonova's Story". Aga Khan Foundation USA. 2021-03-02. Retrieved 2021-11-15.
- ^ a b c "Growing more from less". Aga Khan Foundation UK. 2020-12-08. Retrieved 2021-11-15.
- ^ "World Bank Invests in Tajikistan's Agriculture Sector". World Bank. Retrieved 2021-09-03.