DUSHANBE, January 2013, Asia-Plus — Tajikistan reportedly imported the record volumes of wheat last year.
In 2012, Tajikistan imported 747,100 tons of wheat, which was 308,300 tons more than in 2011, Minister of Economic Development and Trade, Sharif Rahimzoda, told journalists on January 29.
“Tajikistan’s wheat imports increased because last year’s cold weather affected more than half of winter wheat crops in the country,” the minister said.
According to him, Kazakhstan provides the bulk of Tajikistan’s wheat and flour imports. Last year, Kazakhstan accounted for 90 percent of Tajikistan’s wheat and flour imports while the remainder was delivered from the Russian Federation.
According to estimates of experts from the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade (MEDT), Tajikistan will import 461,000 tons of wheat and 390,000 tons of wheat flour this year.
In 2012, Tajikistan reportedly yielded 801,200 tons of wheat, 74,300 tons fewer than in 2011. The largest wheat harvest was reported in 2009 – 938,400 tons.
