ICARDA News

INTERNATIONAL CENTER FOR AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH IN THE DRY AREAS
P.O. Box 5466, Aleppo, Syria
Phone: (963-21) 2213433, 2213477, 2225112, 2225012
Fax: (963-21) 2213490, 2225105; E-mail: ICARDA@CGIAR.ORG
10 October 2002
For more information contact:S.Varma@cgiar.org
Tajik Prime Minister Receives Director General
The Prime Minister of Tajikistan, H.E. Akil Akilov, received ICARDA's Director General, Prof. Dr Adel El-Beltagy, in the country's capital, Dushanbe, on 28 September 2002, to discuss agriculture and opportunities for future cooperation.
    H.E. the Prime Minister reviewed the various challenges faced by the agriculture sector in Tajikistan, such as need for increased productivity, increased cropping intensity, diversification of agriculture, improvement of rangelands, the need for terrace cultivation in the steppes, and for more efficient use of water and land resources for sustainability. He went on to express his great satisfaction regarding ICARDA's contributions in addressing most of these challenges.
H.E. Prime Minister Akil Akilov (right) and ICARDA Director General Prof. Dr Adel El-Beltagy clasp hands prior to their discussions in Dushanbe. The Prime Minister is flanked by Deputy Prime Minister Kozidavlat Koimdodove (right) and the Minister of Agriculture Tursunboi Rakhmatov (left).
    "ICARDA's activities carried out in Tajikistan are indeed very useful and relevant to the needs of small and marginal farmers," said H.E. the Prime Minister. He also detailed the need for expanded support for research relating to "mountain agriculture" and "livestock development." About 70% of the country's population lives in mountainous areas.
    The Government of Tajikistan is placing greater emphasis on issues related to fresh water, and in 2003 will hold an "International Forum on Water" to look at water problems from a broad, multidisciplinary perspective. The objective is to improve water-use efficiency in the country.
    Prof. Dr El-Beltagy thanked H.E. the Prime Minister for providing an excellent account of important issues facing Tajikistan. He expressed admiration for the country's commitment to agricultural research and development and assured H.E. the Prime Minister of ICARDA's full support in strengthening the partnership between the Center and Tajikistan, especially in germplasm improvement and natural resource management, with emphasis on land degradation and on-farm water-use efficiency.
    The Director General said ICARDA would like to participate in the proposed International Forum on Water. He also thanked H.E. the Prime Minister for the excellent support provided in hosting ICARDA's Regional Coordination Meeting in Dushanbe. He expressed appreciation for the dynamic leadership provided to the national agricultural research system by Academician Bobo Sanginov, President of the Tajik Academy of Agricultural Sciences, and also applauded the excellent support extended to the Academy by the Minister of Agriculture, H.E. Tursunboi Rakhmatov.

ICARDA's (www.icarda.org) mission is to improve the welfare of people and alleviate poverty through research and training in dry areas of the developing world by increasing production, productivity, and nutritional quality of food, while preserving and enhancing the natural resource base. ICARDA is a Future Harvest Center.
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