Tajikistan's food security will sharply deteriotate in May - UN monitoring

Almaty. March 20. Silkroadnews - The deterioration of food security in Tajikistan probably will happen in May, before the harvest of winter crops, reported the Tajik news agency (TajikTA) with reference to the monitoring of UN World Food Programme.
"Increasing number of returning migrant workers and a decline in remittances impacted on the welfare and food security of households in Tajikistan", - noted in the bulletin "Food Security Monitoring System in Tajikistan", prepared by the UN World Food Programme (WFP).
According to experts, remittances in Tajikistan were the main source of income for only 15% of households in December 2014. However the consequences of the Russian economic downturn, will be felt most strongly in the spring, when most of the seasonal migrant workers usually leave for Russia in search of work.
The low yield of wheat and failure of potato crop helped to reduce household food stocks over the same period last year.
In addition, the depreciation of the national currency and high regional food prices also played at increasing domestic food prices, thereby reducing access to food. On the part of households below the poverty line, the number of food consumption decreased by 11%, and low-income households - by 5%.
Based on the threat of deterioration of food security in the offseason, WFP recommends careful monitoring in the coming months, especially in the areas of livelihoods, showing the greatest signs of vulnerability: the Rasht Valley, areas Hounds and Istravshan, Eastern Pamirs Plateau and most of the Khatlon region.
As recalled by the agency for the first 2 months of 2015, real GDP growth in Tajikistan slowed down compared to the same period in 2014 from 7.1% to 5.2%, totaling just to 4.8 billion somoni (approximately US $800 million). The volume of foreign trade turnover in January-February this year amounted to $615.4 million, which is 15.8% less than in the same period last year. The volume of remittances to Tajikistan in 2014 decreased by 8.3% or $300 million to $3.9 billion.