Uzbek Wheat Imports Belie Harvest Claims
Uzbek Wheat Imports Belie Harvest Claims
Uzbekistan looks set to continue importing large amounts of grain despite government claims of self-sufficiency.
In mid-July, the Uzbek government announced that more than 6.5 million tons of grain had been harvested. According to President Islam Karimov, this was enough to allow Uzbekistan to export after meeting domestic demand in full.
Official statistics indicate that it takes five million tons of wheat a year to feed the country’s population of 27 million. It is claimed that Uzbekistan became self-sufficient in grain as long ago as 1995 and exports at least a million tons a year.
Despite the high figure being claimed for this year’s harvest, the International Grains Council, an inter-governmental agency based in London, stated on August 13 that Uzbekistan is increasingly importing the flour it needs.
The council says imports increased sevenfold from the 2003-04 to the 2008-09 season.
Independent estimates suggest that Uzbekistan imports up to 2.5 million tons of grain products from Kazakstan every year.
Analysts say only the best-quality wheat can be exported, and little of this is actually grown – most of the wheat produced in Uzbekistan is suitable only for animal feed.
"It’s virtually impossible to make bread out of that kind of wheat flour – the dough won’t rise," explained Tashkent-based economist Dilmurod Holmatov.
Much of Uzbekistan’s irrigated farmland is given over to cotton, a lucrative export earner, rather than to food production.
The authorities are reticent about admitting the scale of flour imports, but local observers say between 1,500 and 2,000 tons cross into Uzbekistan from neighboring Kazakstan every day.
"The flour caravan continues day and night," said one commentator. "Shipments are taking place as they always have and always will."
The traditional flat rounds of bread baked in clay ovens, using good-quality Kazak flour, is a staple food item for Uzbek families. In rural areas, people often stock up on sacks of this flour just to be on the safe side.
(NBCentralAsia is an IWPR-funded project to create a multilingual news analysis and comment service for Central Asia, drawing on the expertise of a broad range of political observers across the region. The project ran from August 2006 to September 2007, covering all five regional states. With new funding, the service has resumed, covering Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan.)
In mid-July, the Uzbek government announced that more than 6.5 million tons of grain had been harvested. According to President Islam Karimov, this was enough to allow Uzbekistan to export after meeting domestic demand in full.
Official statistics indicate that it takes five million tons of wheat a year to feed the country’s population of 27 million. It is claimed that Uzbekistan became self-sufficient in grain as long ago as 1995 and exports at least a million tons a year.
Despite the high figure being claimed for this year’s harvest, the International Grains Council, an inter-governmental agency based in London, stated on August 13 that Uzbekistan is increasingly importing the flour it needs.
The council says imports increased sevenfold from the 2003-04 to the 2008-09 season.
Independent estimates suggest that Uzbekistan imports up to 2.5 million tons of grain products from Kazakstan every year.
Analysts say only the best-quality wheat can be exported, and little of this is actually grown – most of the wheat produced in Uzbekistan is suitable only for animal feed.
"It’s virtually impossible to make bread out of that kind of wheat flour – the dough won’t rise," explained Tashkent-based economist Dilmurod Holmatov.
Much of Uzbekistan’s irrigated farmland is given over to cotton, a lucrative export earner, rather than to food production.
The authorities are reticent about admitting the scale of flour imports, but local observers say between 1,500 and 2,000 tons cross into Uzbekistan from neighboring Kazakstan every day.
"The flour caravan continues day and night," said one commentator. "Shipments are taking place as they always have and always will."
The traditional flat rounds of bread baked in clay ovens, using good-quality Kazak flour, is a staple food item for Uzbek families. In rural areas, people often stock up on sacks of this flour just to be on the safe side.
(NBCentralAsia is an IWPR-funded project to create a multilingual news analysis and comment service for Central Asia, drawing on the expertise of a broad range of political observers across the region. The project ran from August 2006 to September 2007, covering all five regional states. With new funding, the service has resumed, covering Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan.)
