IFPRI CA NEWS DIGEST (JULY 19 – JULY 25, 2017)
News
Tajik agriculture minister: do not expect a decrease in food prices
(July 19) At a July 19 press conference, Tajik agriculture minister Izatullo Sattori advised the public not to expect food prices to decrease in the near future. He attributed price increases for potatoes, onions, carrots, and other commonly consumed vegetables to market conditions and costs incurred bringing them to retail. – Asia Plus
Concluding statement from IMF staff visit to Uzbekistan
(July 24) The IMF issued a statement welcoming the Uzbek government’s reform plans at the conclusion of a weeklong mission to the country from July 17 to July 24. The two sides met to discuss economic developments and ongoing reforms. The IMF expressed support for Uzbekistan’s plan to frontload reforms to its foreign exchange system, including the unification of the country’s multiple exchange rates and the introduction of market-based allocation of foreign exchange resources. The statement also commented favorably on recent moves made by Uzbekistan’s central bank to respond to inflationary pressures and liquidity concerns. – International Monetary Fund
Pistachio yields fall in Tajikistan
(July 25) A variety of factors including drought, overplanting, diseases, and dust storms are to blame for a drop in pistachio yields, according to the Tajik forestry agency director Azizullo Ismatzoda. Pistachios are largely grown through agroforestry with manual collection in Tajikistan. Very few private farms cultivate pistachios because of prohibitive costs associated with the long maturation period (10-15 years) of pistachio trees. Nearby countries including Iran, Afghanistan, and Kyrgyzstan are among the world’s ten largest pistachio-growing countries. – Asia Plus
Analysis & Other Information
Tajikistan: strong growth with a challenging outlook
(July 20) The World Bank released its biannual country update report on Tajikistan, which describes strong economic growth driven by robust foreign investment in 2016. In addition, World Bank notes that poverty fell due to rising wage income, even as Tajikistan continued to deal with a long term drop in remittances and depreciation of its currency in foreign exchange markets. The report offers a mixed economic outlook in the short term, with improving external factors tempered by continuing problems in the domestic financial sector. – The World Bank
Publications & Reports
Kyrgyzstan's accession to the EEU: why do apples matter anyway?
Dergousoff (2017). World Review of Political Economy, 8(2), pp. 203-220.
Vegetation dynamics and responses to climate change and human activities in Central Asia
Jiang, G. JIapaer, A. Bao, H. Guo, F. Ndayisaba (2017). Science of the Total Environment, 599, pp. 967-980.
Patrilocal residence and female labour supply
Landmann, H. Seitz, S. Steiner (2017). IZA Institute of Labor Economics. Discussion Paper 10890.
Environmental aspects of migration flows from the CIS into Russia
Pitukhina, S. Shabayeva, A. Privara (2017). Ecological Economics and Statistics, 38(3).
Spatial distribution and trends of waterborne diseases in Tashkent province
Subramanian, M. Cho, S. Tan, D. Fayzieva, C. Sebaly (2017). Central Asian Journal of Global Health, 6(1).
Tajikistan: strong growth with a challenging outlook
World Bank (2017). Country Economic Update. Spring 2017.
Events & Calls for Papers
ANICANET Summer School 2017
Training course. September 25-29, 2017 in Halle, Germany. Organized by Leibniz Institute of Agricultural Development in Transition Economies (IAMO). Summer school on quantitative analysis featuring discussion about animal husbandry in Central Asia. Check link for detailed descriptions about program and eligibility. Deadline to register for the course is August 13, 2017.
Annual Eurasian Food Security Conference
Annual conference. October 3-5, 2017 in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. Organized by the Eurasian Center for Food Security at Lomonosov Moscow State University (ECFS), World Bank Group, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), and International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA). Deadline to register for the conference is September 17, 2017.
Life in Kyrgyzstan
Annual conference. October 12-13, 2017 in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Organized by Institute of Public Policy and Administration of the University of Central Asia (UCA), Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), Leibniz Institute of Vegetable and Ornamental Crops (IGZ), International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), International Security and Development Center (ISDC), and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Deadline to submit papers is June 15, 2017. Deadline to register is September 15, 2017.
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.
