Throughout Central Asia, the harshest winter since 2008 is leading to shortages of basic vegetables. Prices are rising north in a region still suffering from Covid-induced food inflation. In Uzbekistan, the record frost has exposed the shortcomings of the national energy system: even the inhabitants of the capital were without power for days. But the cold has also hit the agricultural sector in the region's most populous country.
On January 20, the Uzbek Agriculture Minister announced a four-month export ban on onions after prices doubled in three weeks. Kazakhstan followed Uzbekistan's example last week by banning the export of root vegetables. The Ministry of Trade and Integration said on ...