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WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
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Tajikistan
Index
Tajikistan possesses many elements that will be needed to diversify its
national economy after decades of specialization within the Soviet system.
Significant deposits of gold, iron, lead, mercury, and tin exist, and some
coal is present. Some regions have ample water for irrigation, and the
country's rivers are a largely untapped source of hydroelectric power
generation. The labor supply is sufficient, provided Tajikistan can retain
qualified workers in critical fields. The civil war of 1992-93, the
collapse of the integrated Soviet economic system, and the lack of
significant economic reform by the post-civil war government all have
severely impeded economic performance, however.
Economic problems that had developed in Tajikistan during the Soviet
era persisted into the first decade of independence. These included
overreliance on production of cotton and raw materials in general, a high
level of unemployment, and a low standard of living. Although the old
Soviet economic system ceased to exist officially, several aspects of it
survived after 1991. The transition to a market economy progressed slowly,
and Russia and other former Soviet republics continued to play an
important role in Tajikistan's economy. Yet Tajikistan also took the first
steps toward developing economic relations with a wide assortment of other
countries. Quite apart from the deliberate changes implemented by policy
makers, the economy of Tajikistan was profoundly affected in the early
stages of its independence by the political turmoil that accompanied the
transition.
Data as of March 1996
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