Cotton, wool, and meat are the main agricultural products and exports. Other exports include gold, mercury, antimony, uranium, and hydroelectricity. The Government has carried out progressive market reforms. The moderate growth apparent in most sectors has increased, and economic reform is now accepted by the general public. However, the level of hardship for pensioners, unemployed workers, and government workers with salary arrearages continues to be very high.
Foreign assistance plays a significant role in the country's budget.
The Government generally respected the human rights of its citizens in many areas, but there were problems with citizens' limited ability to change their government, freedom of speech and the press, due process for the accused, religious freedom, and ethnic discrimination. Prison conditions remained poor. As in the past, but with increasing frequency, journalists were tried, arrested, and convicted under criminal rather than civil statutes for libeling government officials or other prominent citizens. However, in a number of cases journalists received reduced sentences on appeal or by pardon. At year's end, a journalist who previously was serving a sentence under criminal libel had been amnestied, but eight other cases were announced by the President's press secretary as pending.