A British geographer and an Australian farm management specialist, relying
on extensive field work and interviews conducted over the period 1998-1999,
assess the recent decline in the agricultural sector in Uzbekistan. The pa
per focuses on the cotton and wheat crops (still state controlled) in a par
ticular tuman (rayon), illustrating how government interventions have been
detrimental to agricultural output. Special attention is devoted to efforts
to ensure early planting of cotton under plastic, and their relationship t
o the recent sharp decline in yields. A concluding section examines whether
the government can substantially increase investment and restructure manag
ement in agriculture so as to avert further decline. Classification Numbers
: O13, Q10, Q15.