Kyrgyz sugar farmers suffer from foreign imports

Published 2024년 5월 20일

Tridge summary

Kyrgyzstan is facing a sugar beet harvest shortfall, leading to the necessity of importing sugar from Russia and Kazakhstan. This reliance on imports threatens the nation's food security and makes local beet farming less profitable due to cheap imports. The government is trying to mitigate the issue by offering farmers soft loans of 7 billion som ($78.6m). However, the number of beet farms is declining due to market difficulties. A draft law is under discussion to ban sugar exports in order to prevent market price instability and to encourage domestic production. The quality of beet seeds purchased from Europe, which are not well-suited to the local climate, is contributing to reduced yields and a sugar deficit.

Disclaimer:The above summary was generated by Tridge's proprietary AI model for informational purposes.

Original content

The sugar beet harvest in Kyrgyzstan usually begins in October-November, when processing begins. According to the ministry of agriculture, local farmers do not fully supply sugar beets to processing plants. Therefore, sugar has to be imported from Russia and Kazakhstan, jeopardizing the country’s food security. Farmers themselves argue that cheap imports make beet cultivation unprofitable. Today there are about 3,000 beet farms in Kyrgyzstan, but their number is rapidly decreasing as it is becoming increasingly difficult to survive in the market. Nevertheless, the government is trying to rectify the situation by giving farmers 7 billion som ($78.6m) in soft loans. “If we talk about crops, they are not bad now. Only the lazy will be able to spoil the harvest. The weather conditions are excellent this year: there is moisture, not much heat, but enough, and beet is doing well. I think the harvest will be above average this year,” Chui region farmer Mirgasym Allakhveranov told The ...

Source: Agroberichtenbuitenland