*3.5. Competitiveness Distribution*

Proceeding from the above results, competitive positions primarily include horticultural products such as apricots and plums (the two most competitive products in Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan), cherries (Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan), and grapes (Uzbekistan and Tajikistan) as well as wheat and meslin (Kazakhstan), milk and dairy products (Kyrgyzstan), flour (Kazakhstan), honey (Kyrgyzstan), and walnuts (Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan).

There are the products considered conditionally competitive as they obtain any of comparative, trade, or competitive advantage and DRC below market price. Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan may potentially promote their meat products (due to the developed livestock sector and cattle farming), fish (fishing and aquaculture production in the Caspian Sea and the lakes of Balkhash, Issyk-Kul, Zaysan, and Alakol), and feeding stuff for animals (abundant pastures). The countries of Central Asia are also

conditionally competitive in the production of various cereals and their preparations, tea, and spices (Table 7).


**Table 7.** Allocation of agricultural products to competitiveness groups per countries.

Note: Green cells—competitive (C); yellow cells—conditionally competitive (CC); orange cells—marginally competitive (MC); red cells—non-competitive (NC). Source: Authors' development.

The majority of agricultural products in Central Asia, however, are recognized as either non-competitive (no advantage on any of the four indexes) or marginally competitive (there are advantages, but DRC to produce a unit of a product is higher than the product is worth).
