In an interview with a Turmush correspondent, Urmat spoke about his life in the village of Amanbaev and how, after graduating from the history department of the Kyrgyz National University, he did not choose to work in his field. “Seven years ago, I returned from the city and decided to engage in livestock farming. Previously, we only fattened cattle, but since 2023 we have switched to breeding purebred animals. Currently, we are in the process of obtaining the status of a breeding farm,” the farmer shares.
Urmat noted that when they were focused on fattening, the income was insignificant due to high feed costs. “I decided to change direction to meat production and purchased 34 cows at 147,000 soms each. Some considered this expensive and even laughed. Nevertheless, I began feeding them silage, growing feed crops myself. I also went to Europe to study the practices of local farmers. There, I bought alfalfa seeds in Turkey for $82 per kilogram and planted them on 3.5 hectares. Despite warnings that it was unprofitable, I didn’t listen and ended up harvesting 25 tons per hectare. These seeds are now sown on 450 hectares. Thanks to the silage preparation, I was able to reduce the cost of feeding, and I invested the saved funds into new breeding animals. Currently, we have 100 heads of cattle, and we plan to increase this number to 150,” says Urmat.
Islambekov also mentioned that along with the cows, he acquired one bull for reproduction. “However, after visiting Europe, I realized that they do not use the traditional breeding method there. Purebred breeds are bred using artificial insemination to improve the quality of livestock. After this trip, we also decided to switch to this method. My main goal is to develop breeding livestock in Talas. If you take proper care of a herd of 100 cows, you can earn over 5 million soms in profit per year, and with an increased headcount, even more. But this requires daily labor. Keeping 100 cows in our conditions is a serious challenge. I recommend growing feed independently, properly arranging farm buildings, and organizing the feeding process. In the future, I plan to purchase European equipment and increase the herd to 200, as well as share my experience with local farmers. My wife and I are raising three sons,” concluded Urmat Islambekov.
