JAN. 17 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) — Uzbekistan’s economy, according to President Islam Karimov at least, is buoyant.
In a briefing to government ministers on how Uzbekistan’s economy performed last year, Mr Karimov was fairly unequivocal.
He rattled off the numbers. GDP grew last year grew by 8%, industrial output—by 8.8% and agriculture by 6.7%. Meanwhile, he said, inflation was a lower-than-expected 6.8%.
These are all handsome numbers indeed. They’re also the official numbers. Uzbekistan’s economy probably doesn’t look in such rude health at street level where unemployment, spiralling prices and energy shortages are prevalent.
International financial organisations such as the IMF, though, have also said that Uzbekistan’s economy is growing at a rate similar to the one quoted by Mr Karimov. Mr Karimov said that the official 8% economic increase last year had been due mainly to a surge in foreign investments and also jumps in production in the agriculture and manufacturing sectors.
He was, though, modest enough to suggest that improvements could be made in a handful of sectors including boosting the efficiency of state-run companies and replacing aging infrastructure used on farms
The problem for Uzbekistan is that while the numbers sound good, the reality is different and ordinary people in Uzbekistan are not benefiting from the economic expansion that is so often touted as part of Mr Karimov’s legacy. NGOs in Moscow report a steady stream of Uzbeks heading to Russia for seasonal work.
ENDS
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(News report from Issue No. 168, published on Jan. 22 2014)
