The food industry can boost Kyrgyzstan’s economy

The country should develop the processing sector, paying particular attention to the production of organic products.

This was voiced by experts invited to the business lunch of the IBC Economic Journalism Club — Denis Kononov, General Director of the Bishkeksut OJSC, Eldar Abakirov, Deputy Economy Minister, and Denis Gaivoronsky, General Director of the Kulikovsky Confectionery House.

It is necessary to export not vegetables and fruits, but processed products which allow getting more profit. There is no need to reinvent the wheel, as there is a successful international experience. Over the past few years, Holland focused on the agrarian and processing production. The country now ranks second in the global agricultural market. It is worth considering that the Netherlands is 2.4-fold smaller than Kyrgyzstan and the climate and soils are far from ideal there.

The demand for organic products is growing in foreign markets, and Kyrgyzstan should use this situation to its advantage, since the country has rare conditions for growing organic products.

The country has natural resources that will soon become the most expensive in the world — soil and water. The adoption of the Law "On organic agricultural production in the Kyrgyz Republic" will create conditions for the development of the domestic market for organic products and the growth of exports.

The CEOs of the largest food industry enterprises spoke about the competitive environment in the domestic and foreign markets, the importance of the quality control of raw materials and finished products, and the problems faced by the enterprises and ways to resolve them.

According to feedback from club members, the meeting was very interesting: “We had a chance to meet three experts of such a high level at once. They raised serious problems, discussed what should be done to improve the country's economy.”