DUSHANBE, April 20, 2015, Asia-Plus —
The Food Assistance Outlook Brief
for March 2015, released by the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET), notes that prices for basic food commodities including wheat flour and potatoes in Tajikistan are significantly higher than last year and the average, but have remained stable for several months.
According to the Food Security Monitoring System (FSMS) of the World Food Program (WFP) conducted in December 2014 in Tajikistan, the total wheat harvest decreased by eight percent in 2014 as compared to 2013. The largest decrease was reported in Sughd province, where wheat production decreased by 11 percent from the previous year. The production of potatoes, another major staple food, declined by 23 percent compared to 2013. However, estimates indicate that 2013 production was above-average.
The 2014 fruit and vegetable harvests performed well in general, with a four percent increase reported. Due to lower agricultural production, mainly of wheat and potatoes, reports indicate that nearly three-fourths of households have lower food stocks for the ongoing lean season as compared to the same time two years ago, when Tajikistan had produced a good harvest.
In Tajikistan, prices were significantly higher than last year and the average in all markets. In some markets, including Dushanbe, prices were at historical highs, with data since 2006, says the
Brief
. The main reasons behind the price increases are lower domestic wheat production and higher prices of imports from Kazakhstan. Potato prices started to decline again in major markets, after remaining stable at an elevated level since the price increased in November 2014. However, prices are 21 percent higher than the same time last year and 49 percent higher than average, with the greatest increase reported in Sughd province, where it is 62 percent higher than the average.
The Tajik national currency, the somoni (TJS), has depreciated against the U.S. dollar (USD) since November 2014, and was 12 percent lower than at the same time last year. It is believed that the depreciation of the somoni against international currencies has contributed to the increase in prices for some food commodities, particularly imports. The price of the minimum food basket reportedly increased by 14 percent.
FEWS NET projects that labor migration to the Russian Federation and the value of remittances to Tajikistan may decrease in the coming months, following a weakening labor market in the Russian Federation.
FEWS NET, the Famine Early Warning Systems Network, is a leading provider of information and analysis on food insecurity. Created in 1985 by the US Agency for International Development (USAID), and the US Department of State, after devastating famines in East and West Africa, FEWS NET today is a valuable resource to a vast community of governments, international relief agencies, NGOs, journalists, and researchers planning for, responding to, and reporting on humanitarian crises.
