Food security

Food security is among priority strategic goals of the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan. With regard to this, in order to achieve those goals, which facilitate improvement of the living standards of population of the country, a great number of measures are being taken. Agriculture production development has been defined as the important factor of food security of the country.

With this aim, proper use of a land, land improvement and its productivity, export of fruits and vegetables are of priority tasks. In this direction the appropriate ministries and agencies and employees of the field have been entrusted with the main work. But its implementation has many sides, which requires foreign cooperation. In particular, construction of industrial enterprises, growing new varieties of plants, destructive insects control, gardening, viticulture and farming development and so on, import of agricultural machinery are the direction that could be carried out in cooperation with developed countries. Its outcome on the whole should be production of agricultural products to a required volume. This point was clearly mentioned by the Head of state while addressing the Parliament of the country on 25 April 2008: “we could ensure food security only when will more and more raise domestic agricultural production and will be less dependent from exported foodstuffs.” Actually, in most cases ensuring food security of the country depends on productivity and sustainability of agricultural development. Therefore, this sector, being a driving sector of Tajikistan’s economy, provides 21-21% of GDP.

In this regard, the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan has adopted a number of programmes in the sphere of agriculture.

The Republic of Tajikistan since gaining state independence has been facing with difficulties that inherited from the Soviet period. Moreover, the country was involved in an imposed civil war, only economic damage of which was 10 billion US dollars. In line with that, after the collapse of the Soviet Union also the unified economic system of that country fell apart, which presented many economic and social hardships for Tajikistan. Such hardships covered all spheres of country’s economy, in particular energy, industry, transport, agriculture and other spheres. After the safeguarding peace and stability, the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan had to deal with the issue of ensuring sustainable economic development of the country. Therefore, the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan for the further development of the country has defined strategic goals of stable development of Tajikistan’s economy, including ensuring energy independence, break in the communication deadlock, food security and acceleration industrialization of the country.