President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov has approved amendments to the Law "On Food Security of the Kyrgyz Republic." The main goal of the document is to ensure the domestic market of the country is supplied with essential socially significant food products produced within the country.
Experts emphasize that over the past four years, the government has taken concrete measures to strengthen the agro-industrial sector and develop the processing industry. The priority is to provide the citizens of Kyrgyzstan with quality and affordable products produced by local farmers.
According to the current economic policy, Kyrgyzstan is already capable of fully meeting the population's needs for nine essential food products, such as milk, vegetables, meat, potatoes, eggs, sugar, and melons. However, there is still a shortage of domestic grain, vegetable oil, berries, and fruits. This issue can be addressed by farmers and agrarians with proper support in the near future.
Manas Samatov, head of the agricultural producers association "Bai Bagban," noted the significance of reforms aimed at supporting farmers in the country.
“In the current economic situation, it is extremely important to respond quickly to changes in the external environment. Producing necessary products in Kyrgyzstan allows us to solve several tasks simultaneously. First, it ensures food availability for the population. Second, it contributes to the development of local farms and processing plants. Third, we become less dependent on external factors, which promotes stability in the food market. Moreover, a significant portion of the funds currently spent on imports will remain in the country and contribute to our further development,” he noted.
Samatov also added that import substitution should not be an end in itself. “If we can produce something here in Kyrgyzstan, then why spend currency on imports? The more local food we produce, the less we will depend on border complexities and price instability in external markets. All these import-related costs ultimately fall on the shoulders of consumers. Therefore, the authorities are actively responding to current trends. We need more local products, and that is why laws are being improved, and agrarians are receiving the necessary support,” he concluded.
