Tag Archives: drought

Kazakhstan bans grain exports as drought worsens

Tajik President warns of droughts

MARCH 1 2016 (The Conway Bulletin) – Tajik President Emomali Rakhmon warned people that reservoirs in Tajikistan were low because of a relatively dry winter and that droughts were likely this summer. It’s unusual for Mr Rakhmon to give drought warnings. Tajikistan’s rivers feed downstream Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, meaning that droughts would have knock-on consequences and could strain bilateral relations.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 270, published on March 4 2016)

Azerbaijan to increase grain reserves

JAN. 5 2015, (The Conway Bulletin) — Azerbaijan has said that it will increase by 50% the size of its grain reserves, media reported. Azerbaijan wants to hedge against grain harvest fluctuations by increasing its stored supply to 750,000 tonnes from 500,000 tonnes. Its intervention will push up grain prices.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 213, published on Jan. 7 2015)

Uzbekistan’s Aral Sea shrink hits millions

OCT. 28 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Speaking via a video link to a conference in Tashkent, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon said human interference had drained the Aral Sea with implications for millions of people. The Aral Sea, shared by Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, has shrunk dramatically over the past 30 years, mainly due to Soviet era irrigation projects.

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(News report from Issue No. 206, published on Oct. 29 2014)

Farmers talk of drought in Uzbekistan

JUNE 24 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Media in Uzbekistan reported that a drought in the south of the country means that crop expectations are low.

The uznews.net opposition website said that harvest would be 50% lower than normal on rain-fed crops.

“It did not rain this April and we expect smaller harvests,” uznews.net quoted a farmer as saying.

Officials have not commented although signs of drought are important for policymakers. Droughts and a lack of income can trigger social discontent. Throughout the year, reports have surfaced from Uzbekistan of rising prices.

Uzbekistan is particularly prone to drought. Much of its agriculture is under-resourced and lacking in investment and the land is generally arid. A government report in 2012 said that 76% of the population was living in areas at risk of drought.

And the timing of the uznews.net report is pertinent. The state’s Committee for Natural Protection organised a roundtable on June 29 specifically to discuss desertification and drought in Uzbekistan. The World Bank and the Asian Development all provide various forms of financial assistance aimed at reducing drought in Uzbekistan.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 190, published on July 2 2014)

UNDP warns of drought in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan

Kazakhstan bans buckwheat exports