President of Turkmenistan in Countrywide Travel to Connect with Farmers

Ashgabat, 21 September 2008 (nCa) --- In little more than a week, President Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov visited rural areas in all the five province of Turkmenistan.

Always flying by helicopter, the Turkmen president made separate trips to Ahal, Mary, Lebap, Dashoguz and Balkan provinces, stopping at small farms, participating in cotton picking and wheat sowing, distributing gifts and prizes to outstanding private farmers and generally trying to get a first-hand picture of the rural Turkmenistan.

While it is traditional for the Turkmen president to visit the countryside during cotton picking season, this year’s hop-stop-hop could be more than just the desire to show a friendly face to the farmers.

The global food crisis has caught up with the region and Turkmenistan is no exception.

In order to meet the challenge on immediate and long-term basis, Turkmenistan has adopted a three pronged approach: 1. Duty free import of food items; 2. Improvement of per hectare yield through better seed, fertilizers and crop management; and 3. Water economy.

The recent amendments in the customs regulations have put wheat flour, meat, vegetable oil, cheese, and some other essential food products on duty free list.

Simultaneously, wheat and cotton purchase prices have been increased by 150-250% to encourage private farmers. This would also help curb smuggling of food grain to neighbouring countries.

Water economy is probably one of the biggest challenges but the government seems to be moving steadily toward more efficient system for water distribution and farm irrigation. Underground conduits and sprinkler systems are being tested for their suitability.

Actually, the global food crisis should be an opportunity rather than a challenge for Turkmenistan.

The country, occupying 488000 square kilometers of territory, has a population of only about seven million, nearly 70% of them living in rural areas.

By shifting gradually away from cotton culture, Turkmenistan could become a regional food basket. There would be need to give attention to crops such as groundnut and soy that are not hard on the soil and offer the possibility of a wide range of value added products.

Moreover, there is the need to match the farm machinery pool with the requirements of private farmers. Leaseholders typically cultivate plots of 3 to 7 hectares but the farm machinery currently available in the pool is mostly John Deere and Case, better suited for large farms.