MONGABAY.COM
Mongabay.com seeks to raise interest in and appreciation of wild lands and wildlife, while examining the impact of emerging trends in climate, technology, economics, and finance on conservation and development (more)
WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
|
|
Tajikistan
Index
At the close of the Soviet phase of Tajikistan's history, the economy
deteriorated rapidly, and the level of economic activity declined sharply
in the early 1990s. In 1992 the gross domestic product (GDP--see Glossary)
was approximately half of what it had been in 1990. In the first half of
1991, agricultural and industrial output dropped substantially, and
construction, a chronic weak point of the economy, was especially
sluggish. The state's revenues for the same period were half as large as
its expenses. According to Soviet statistics, the generation of national
income in Tajikistan had already declined 7.8 percent from 1988 to 1989
and 8.9 percent from 1989 to 1990. In 1990, the per capita generation of
national income was the lowest by far among Soviet republics, and 17
percent below the 1985 level. These figures reflect not only Tajikistan's
poverty but also the low prices that were assigned to agricultural
products and raw materials, Tajikistan's main products, in the state-run
economy. Although Tajikistan was primarily an agricultural republic, in
1989 it imported more agricultural products, including foodstuffs, than it
exported.
Political turmoil and the civil war of 1992-93 did enormous damage to
Tajikistan's economy. According to an official estimate, that damage
extended to 80 percent of the republic's industries. The conflict spurred
the departure of large numbers of Russians and Germans who had been key
technical personnel in Tajikistan's industries (see Population, this ch.).
After independence, the government was very slow to develop an
institutional framework to promote movement toward a market economy.
Through the mid-1990s, virtually no privatization of industry or
agriculture occurred.
The scarcity of reliable statistics makes quantification of
Tajikistan's economic situation difficult. In 1994 the total economic loss
from the civil war was estimated at 15 trillion rubles (see Glossary for
value of ruble)--about US$12 billion at the January 1, 1994, exchange
rate. According to Western estimates, by 1994 production in industry had
dropped 60 percent, in agriculture 33 percent, and in the transportation
enterprises several hundred percent--all in comparison with 1990 levels.
The GDP fell an estimated 28 percent in 1993, 12 percent in 1994, and 14
percent in 1995. Inflation soared at a rate of 1,157 percent in 1992;
2,195 percent in 1993; 341 percent in 1994; and 120 percent in 1995. The
relatively lower rate in 1995 reflected the government's new
anti-inflationary policies launched in the second half of the year.
Data as of March 1996
|
|