Dealings are on a commercial basis, at world prices, and the conduct of the negotiations is very much determined by the urgency to meet shortagesin Tajikistan. Imports of most other commodities have been reduced to a trickle. However only about half of the pledged food aid had actually arrived in the country by end 1995. Reduced imports have resulted in much smaller quantities of grain in the state distribution system on which the bulk of the population has to rely in view of the highly centralized state control of cereal imports, processing and commercial baking. Currently, supplies of flour in the state system are well below minimum requirements.
Many urban people can no longer obtain bread from the state distribution system.
In these areas the supply situation is so tight that some people are using wheat milling by-products as food. Even so, minimum direct human consumption needs, estimated at 300 grams per person per day, have only been partially met. Deep recession, rapid devaluation of the Tajik rouble and debts in excess of GDP severely constrain the country's capacity to mobilize this amount commercially, whether in the CIS or abroad. Thus, there is an urgent need to increase food aid allocations to the country and to step up deliveries of pledged quantities. In addition, the country urgently needs international assistance to increase domestic wheat production.