DUSHANBE, December 18, 2011, Asia-Plus  -- Food crisis may provoke a riot of ‘empty pans’ in Tajikistan, Tajik political scientist Abdughani Mamadazimov said in an interview with Asia-Plus.

“Our authorities have already called on the population to create two-year food stocks,” said Mamadazimov, “Apart from such appeals, no any serious measures have been taken to seek real solution to the problem.”

We will recall that President Rahmon called on the population in July 2009 to stock up on food.   "Everyone who is able to do so should create stocks of food, especially wheat, for the next two years," he said in an address published by state news agency Khovar on July 28, 2009.  The president noted that "due to the financial and economic crisis as well as natural disasters...providing people with food is becoming a problem in many countries and, according to experts, this process will continue."

“The Sangtuda-1 hydroelectric power plant (HPP) has been introduced into operation and the energy security issues is not so acute and we are also slowly coming out of the transportation impasse,” said the expert, “W now must put the food security problems in the forefront,” the expert said.

According to him, there are two large tracts of land in Tajikistan, the Qizilin area in the north and the Danghara area in the south, which could fully satiate the domestic consumer market with grains in the event that they will be developed.