TURKMENISTAN (9 February)
Latest official reports indicate that area under winter cereals is similar to the significantly increased area planted last year. The Government, over the past few years, has sought to achieve food self-sufficiency by increasing area planted with cereals at the expense of other crops and cultivating marginal lands and pastures. Area under cereals, in particular wheat, has tripled over the past decade, from about 330 000 hectares in 1992 to about 940 000 hectares in 2003. The two main rivers, Amu and Murghab, are the main sources of irrigation water in Turkmenistan, both of which begin their course from the Hindukush mountain in Afghanistan and Tajikistan. Ample snow cover and precipitation throughout the region and in particular over the Hindukush are seen to provide the much-needed irrigation water for the desert country. With the current production levels the country has, by and large, achieved its stated goal of food self-sufficiency.