At the farmers' fair held at the Turdakun Usubaliev Square in Bishkek, the Minister of Water Resources, Agriculture, and Processing Industry, Bakyt Torobaev, shared his vision of the situation in the poultry meat production sector with journalists from VB.KG, highlighting that it is currently an affordable and socially significant product.
- What are the current indicators of poultry meat production in Kyrgyzstan? Are there plans to reduce dependence on imports?
- At the moment, we are observing a shortage of poultry meat. Domestic production covers only 30-35% of the country's needs, although three years ago this figure was only 10%. Our goal is to increase the share of domestic chicken in the internal market to 80% by 2030. As you can see, we have positive dynamics.
As for eggs, the situation has improved: we not only fully meet domestic demand but have also started exporting surpluses.
We are applying similar support methods for the poultry meat production sector: we provide preferential loans and assist with feed. A connection has been established between farmers and processors, who are already placing orders for raw materials for processing. Often, prepayment is made in advance so that farmers can grow the necessary amount of products for specific orders.
Import substitution is another important task. Previously, we imported about 60,000 tons of poultry meat from China, but thanks to the growth of domestic production, this volume has decreased by 10,000 tons. We plan to reduce the volume of imports by 5-10 thousand tons annually to fully meet the domestic market with our own resources.
- Poultry meat is considered a social product. Does this mean that its price should decrease and become more affordable?
- Yes, we aim for the price of poultry meat not to exceed 250 soms per kilogram. Recently, there has been a growing interest in healthy eating and the consumption of "white meat." Increasing the supply in the market will be a key factor in reducing and stabilizing prices for this product.
- Are the support measures and loans intended only for large companies, or are they also available to cooperatives and small producers, such as farmers participating in the fair?
- Support is available to everyone without exception: both large enterprises and small agricultural producers.
