Potential for increasing producers' income from wool, fibre and pelts in Central Asia

The systems of livestock production, marketing and research have been profoundly transformed by recent policies in Central Asia since the break up of the Soviet Union. Decollectivisation of state farms has transferred livestock ownership to new private farming units. These receive little or no state support for inputs, or for processing and selling livestock products. Most livestock-keeping families have much-reduced incomes compared to the Soviet period. Live animal sales now constitute the main subsistence income for such families, but may be unsustainable for the majority of families who own small numbers of animals. Poverty is particularly prevalent in the more remote areas distant from urban markets.