Agriculture in Kyrgyzstan

Last updated

Crop planting in Kyrgyzstan usually requires irrigation E8184-Tamchy-mud-dam.jpg
Crop planting in Kyrgyzstan usually requires irrigation
A corn husker's work area E8024-Milyanfan-corn-huskers.jpg
A corn husker's work area

Agriculture in Kyrgyzstan is a significant sector of the economy. According to the CIA World Factbook, it comprises 18% of the total GDP and occupies 48% of the total labor force. Only 6.8% of the total land area is used for crop cultivation, but 44% of the land is used as pastures for livestock. Because of the many mountains of Kyrgyzstan, animal husbandry remains a significant part of the agricultural economy.

Contents

Cultivation is centered in the Fergana Valley, Talas Region, and Chüy Region.

Among Kyrgyzstan's agricultural products are tobacco, cotton, potatoes, vegetables, grapes, fruits, and berries. As far as total production, the largest crop is assorted types of animal fodder to feed the livestock of the country. The second largest crop is winter wheat, followed by barley, corn, and rice.

Significant animal derived products include sheep, goats, cattle, and wool. Chickens, horses, and pigs are also present. In some regions, yaks are herded and bred.

Of these, the top products for export are cotton and tobacco. Meat is also exported, but in less significant quantities. However, the country has over 9 million hectares of pasture and a favourable environment for the development of animal husbandry. Kyrgyzstan concluded accords to export meat to Saudi Arabia from September 2012. [1]

History

Due to its climate, Kyrgyzstan was considered as an excellent location for growing cotton, tobacco, wheat, and other crops in the Soviet period. The country has long had agriculture as a core sector of its economy, but its role has declined over time: agriculture has fallen from 43.9% of the GDP in 1996 to 15.9% in 2015, although there is significant regional variation in the size of the agricultural economy. [2] The mono-crop approach of farming was deleterious to the soil and cotton production led to an exhaustion of water resources. [3] In the 1990s and early 2000s, the Kyrgyz agricultural sector experienced substantial reform but the pace of change subsequently slowed and strategic government development became more small-scale and limited. [2]

Production

Kyrgyz agriculture encompasses a wide variety of products, including cereals, vegetables, fruits, and animal products. From 2018 to 2022, the main agricultural outputs of the country were as follows: [4] :

Agricultural Production from 2018 to 2022
ProductQuantity in thousand tonnes
20182019202020212022
Potato 1,446.6101,373.8001,327.1631,289.1081,257.012
Sugar beet 773.034741.128448.772365.588468.093
Maize 692.877711.786714.086691.139732.633
Wheat 615.926601.216629.052362.711592.507
Barley 429.306465.864510.208274.082539.602
Tomato 224.737240.734237.156231.053247.474
Total milk 1,569.8251,628.4661,668.6011,699.5481,734.691
Fresh hen eggs 533.242561.288562.054564.178607.883
Various fruits 447.754453.326465.853423.937425.518

The country also produces fruits and berries such as apricots (25,000 tonnes) and has the largest share of land dedicated to organic farming in Central Asia. [5] .

Corruption in the tobacco industry

In 2010, AOI-Kyrgyzstan, a Kyrgyz subsidiary of Pyxus International (then known as Alliance One), a global tobacco leaf merchant headquartered in North Carolina, United States, pleaded guilty to violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, relating to bribes paid to Kyrgyzstan government officials in connection with its purchase of Kyrgyz tobacco. [6]

AOI-Kyrgyzstan admitted that employees paid a total of approximately US$3 million in bribes from 1996 to 2004 to various officials in the Republic of Kyrgyzstan, including officials of the Kyrgyz Tamekisi, a government entity that controlled and regulated the tobacco industry in Kyrgyzstan. [7] [8] Bribes totaling US$254,262 were made to five local provincial government officials, known as "Akims", [6] to obtain permission to purchase tobacco from local growers during the same period. [9]

There was also significant incidence of child labor in the tobacco industry. In fact, the 2013 U.S. Department of Labor report on the worst forms of child labor indicated that 4.5% of children aged 5 to 14 were engaged in such working conditions in tobacco cultivation, and that despite the availability of education, evidence suggested that "a limited number of schools required children to harvest tobacco on school grounds". [10] Despite adopting an action plan for the National Program against Human Trafficking for 2013-2016, "interagency coordination on child labor continued to be poor", according to the report. More recently in December 2014, the Department's List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor reported tobacco as a good still produced by Kyrgyz children, among others. To tobacco, the list added cotton, the cultivation of which was determined by national law as hazardous.

Organic farming

Kyrgyzstan has the largest proportion of organic fields as a percentage of its total land used for agriculture; organizations in European Union member countries and Russia have certified 74,000 acres (30,000 ha) which allow products of those acres to be exported under an organic product label. [11] In March 2023, the government passed a law to standardize organic production, including labeling and certification with the goal of encouraging growing to incorporate organic farming practices into their businesses. [11] [12] The stated aim of the 2023 labeling law was to ensure confidence in the Kyrgyz national organic standard as a designation that meets international regulations. In December 2018, the Kyrgyzstan Parliament announced a plan to phase out all non-organic farming and switch to 100% organic agriculture by 2028; the process is slowed by the fact that fields must be "chemical-free" for several years before it is possible to consider them organic. [13] In 2019, Kyrgyzstan established the first governmental department of organic agriculture in Central Asia. [11] [14]

The organic movement began in Kyrgyzstan in 2004. [15] In 2013, the non-profit Bio-KG, a state-private partnership umbrella organization of the Kyrgyz organic sector, launched the "Organic Aymak" program that has helped established 23 villages that produce all of their food without synthetic fertilizers and pesticides; the program also includes elements of pre-Islamic Kyrgyz culture, including the celebration Shirge zhyar (Kyrgyz : Ширге жыяр), and Tengrism that is seen as an ecocentric belief system. [11] The 23 villages span 4 provinces and are home to almost 70,000 residents. Bio-KG Federation of Organic Development was one of the winners of the UNDP's Equator Prize in 2021. [16]

Bio-KG established the IFOAM Euro-Asia, a regional alliance of 12 Russian-speaking countries, that aimed to unite organic movements in post-Soviet countries; its activities have been limited by a lack of resources. [16]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Economy of Kyrgyzstan</span>

The economy of Kyrgyzstan is heavily dependent on the agricultural sector. Cotton, tobacco, wool, and meat are the main agricultural products, although only tobacco and cotton are exported in any quantity. According to Healy Consultants, Kyrgyzstan's economy relies heavily on the strength of industrial exports, with plentiful reserves of gold, mercury and uranium. The economy also relies heavily on remittances from foreign workers. Following independence, Kyrgyzstan was progressive in carrying out market reforms, such as an improved regulatory system and land reform. In 1998, Kyrgyzstan was the first Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) country to be accepted into the World Trade Organization. Much of the government's stock in enterprises has been sold. Kyrgyzstan's economic performance has been hindered by widespread corruption, low foreign investment and general regional instability. Despite those issues, Kyrgyzstan is ranked 70th on the ease of doing business index.

Vegan organicagriculture is the organic production of food and other crops with minimal animal inputs. Vegan organic agriculture is the organic form of animal-free agriculture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agriculture in Argentina</span>

Agriculture is one of the bases of Argentina's economy.

Agriculture in Uzbekistan employs 28% of the country's labor force and contributes 24% of its GDP. Crop agriculture requires irrigation and occurs mainly in river valleys and oases. Cultivable land is 4.5 million hectares, or about 10% of Uzbekistan's total area, 50% of total area of Uzbekistan is used for agriculture and it has to be shared between crops and cattle. Desert pastures cover fully 50% of the country, but they support only sheep.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agriculture in Kazakhstan</span>

Agriculture in Kazakhstan remains a small scale sector of Kazakhstan's economy. Agriculture's contribution to the GDP is under 10% – it was recorded as 6.7%, and as occupying only 20% of labor. At the same time, more than 70% of its land is occupied in crops and animal husbandry. Kazakhstan has the highest cropland area per capita in the world, followed by Australia and Canada. Compared to North America, a relatively small percentage of land is used for crops, with the percentage being higher in the north of the country. 70% of the agricultural land is permanent pastureland.

Agriculture in Central Asia provides a brief regional overview of agriculture in the five contiguous states of former Soviet Central Asia – Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Two other countries that are sometimes classified as Central Asian – Afghanistan and Mongolia – are included in this overview because of their substantially different background.

Agriculture in Lithuania dates to the Neolithic period, about 3,000 to 1,000 BC. It has been one of Lithuania's most important occupations for many centuries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of agriculture in China</span>

For millennia, agriculture has played an important role in the Chinese economy and society. By the time the People's Republic of China was established in 1949, virtually all arable land was under cultivation; irrigation and drainage systems constructed centuries earlier and intensive farming practices already produced relatively high yields. But little prime virgin land was available to support population growth and economic development. However, after a decline in production as a result of the Great Leap Forward (1958–60), agricultural reforms implemented in the 1980s increased yields and promised even greater future production from existing cultivated land.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agriculture in Cambodia</span>

Agriculture accounts for 22 percent of Cambodia’s GDP, and employs about 3 million people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agriculture in Ghana</span> Agricultural activity in Ghana

Agriculture in Ghana consists of a variety of agricultural products and is an established economic sector, providing employment on a formal and informal basis. It is represented by the Ministry of Food and Agriculture. Ghana produces a variety of crops in various climatic zones which range from dry savanna to wet forest which run in east–west bands across Ghana. Agricultural crops, including yams, grains, cocoa, oil palms, kola nuts, and timber, form the base of agriculture in Ghana's economy. In 2013 agriculture employed 53.6% of the total labor force in Ghana.

Uganda's favorable soil conditions and climate have contributed to the country's agricultural success. Most areas of Uganda have usually received plenty of rain. In some years, small areas of the southeast and southwest have averaged more than 150 millimeters per month. In the north, there is often a short dry season in December and January. Temperatures vary only a few degrees above or below 20 °C but are moderated by differences in altitude.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agriculture in Laos</span>

The southeast Asian country of Laos, with a landmass of 23.68 million hectares, has at least 5 million hectares of land suitable for cultivation. Seventeen percent of this land area is actually cultivated, less than 4 percent of the total area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agriculture in Lebanon</span>

Agriculture in Lebanon is the third most productive sector in the country after the tertiary and industrial sectors. It contributes 3.1% of GDP and 8 percent of the effective labor force. The sector includes an informal Syrian labor and is dependent on foreign labor for its productivity. Main crops include cereals, fruits and vegetables, olives, grapes, and tobacco, along with sheep and goat herding. Mineral resources are limited and are only exploited for domestic consumption. Lebanon, which has a variety of agricultural lands, from the interior plateau of the Beqaa Valley to the narrow valleys leading downward to the sea, enables farmers to grow both European and tropical crops. Tobacco and figs are grown in the south, citrus fruits and bananas along the coast, olives in the north and around the Shouf Mountains, and fruits and vegetables in the Beqaa Valley. More exotic crops include avocados, grown near Byblos, and hashish. Although the country benefits from favorable farming conditions and diverse microclimates, it relies on food imports, which make up 80% of its consumption.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cultivation of tobacco</span>

The cultivation of tobacco usually takes place annually. The tobacco is germinated in cold frames or hotbeds and then transplanted to the field until it matures. It is grown in warm climates with rich, well-drained soil. About 4.2 million hectares of tobacco were under cultivation worldwide in 2000, yielding over seven million tonnes of tobacco.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agriculture in Sudan</span> Economic sector in Sudan

Agriculture in Sudan plays an important role in that country's economy. Agriculture and livestock raising are the main sources of livelihood for most of the Sudanese population. It was estimated that, as of 2011, 80 percent of the labor force were employed in that sector, including 84 percent of the women and 64 percent of the men.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agriculture in Bolivia</span>

The role of agriculture in the Bolivian economy in the late 1980s expanded as the collapse of the tin industry forced the country to diversify its productive and export base. Agricultural production as a share of GDP was approximately 23 percent in 1987, compared with 30 percent in 1960 and a low of just under 17 percent in 1979. The recession of the 1980s, along with unfavorable weather conditions, particularly droughts and floods, hampered output. Agriculture employed about 46 percent of the country's labor force in 1987. Most production, with the exception of coca, focused on the domestic market and self-sufficiency in food. However, with increased industrial agriculture starting in the early 2000s, exportation of commodities such as quinoa has grown substantially and local consumption has declined. Foreign industries' introduction of new machinery, monoculture, and chemicals to Bolivian agriculture has shifted production further away from Indigenous farmers and created a larger dependence on foreign markets. Agricultural exports accounted for only about 15 percent of total exports in the late 1980s, depending on weather conditions and commodity prices for agricultural goods, hydrocarbons, and minerals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agriculture in Azerbaijan</span>

The primary crops produced in Azerbaijan are agricultural cash crops, grapes, cotton, tobacco, citrus fruits, and vegetables. The first three crops account for over half of all production, and the last two together account for an additional 30 percent. Livestock, dairy products, and wine and liquors are also important farm products.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agriculture in Sweden</span>

Agriculture in Sweden differs by region. This is due to different soils and different climate zones, with many parts of the country being more suitable to forestry. It makes more economic sense to dedicate land to forestry than agriculture in the northern and mountainous parts of the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agriculture in Mexico</span>

Agriculture in Mexico has been an important sector of the country’s economy historically and politically even though it now accounts for a very small percentage of Mexico’s GDP. Mexico is one of the cradles of agriculture with the Mesoamericans developing domesticated plants such as maize, beans, tomatoes, squash, cotton, vanilla, avocados, cacao, and various spices. Domestic turkeys and Muscovy ducks were the only domesticated fowl in the precolumbian era, and small dogs were also raised for food. There were no large domesticated animals, such as cattle or pigs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agriculture in Ireland</span> History of agriculture in Ireland

Agriculture in Ireland began during the neolithic era, when inhabitants of the island began to practice animal husbandry and farming grains. Principal crops grown during the neolithic era included barley and wheat.

References

  1. "Kyrgyzstan Intends Exporting Meat to Saudi Arabia". The Gazette of Central Asia. Satrapia. 2012-05-29. Retrieved 2012-06-08.
  2. 1 2 Mogilevskii, Roman; Abdrazakova, Nazgul; Bolotbekova, Aida; Chalbasova, Saule; Dzhumaeva, Shoola; Tilekeyev, Kanat, eds. (2017). The outcomes of 25 years of agricultural reforms in Kyrgyzstan. IAMO Discussion Paper. doi:10.22004/ag.econ.253882.
  3. Otunchieva, Aiperi (2019-06-05). "Development of organic products in Kyrgyzstan". Future of Food: Journal on Food, Agriculture and Society. 7 (1): 47–49. doi:10.17170/kobra-2018122075.
  4. FAO (October 7, 2024). "FAOSTAT - Crops and livestock products" (HTML) (in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish). Retrieved November 10, 2024.
  5. Kruzman, Diana; Hart, Eilish (February 2, 2024). "An organic movement grows in Kyrgyzstan" . Retrieved November 10, 2024.
  6. 1 2 US DoJ (1 January 2011). "Alliance One International Inc. And Universal Corporation Resolve Related FCPA Matters Involving Bribes Paid To Foreign Government Officials". US DoJ. Archived from the original on 9 May 2012.
  7. US DoJ (30 September 2010). "Summaries of Foreign Corrupt Practices Act Enforcement Actions by the United States" (PDF). US DoJ.
  8. US SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION (6 August 2010). "U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION". SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION.
  9. SEC Whistleblower. "United States v. Alliance One Tobacco Osh, LLC". SEC Whistleblower. Archived from the original on 2011-05-12. Retrieved 2012-02-12.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  10. "The Kyrgyz Republic, 2013 Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor". Archived from the original on 2014-05-30. Retrieved 2015-03-26.
  11. 1 2 3 4 Kruzman, Diana (2 February 2024). Hart, Eilish (ed.). "An organic movement grows in Kyrgyzstan Farmers in this heavily agricultural nation are embracing chemical-free crops". Meduza. Retrieved 2024-03-29.
  12. "Принят закон Кыргызской Республики "Об органическом производстве" – Министерство водных ресурсов, сельского хозяйства и перерабатывающей промышленности Кыргызской Республики" (in Russian). 28 March 2023. Retrieved 2024-03-29.
  13. "Kyrgyzstan to start producing only organic products". AzerNews.az. 2018-12-13. Retrieved 2019-02-03.
  14. "Кыргыз Республикасынын Өкмөтүнүн 2019-жылдын 20-февралындаг". cbd.minjust.gov.kg (in Kyrgyz). Retrieved 2024-03-29.
  15. "Agriculture in the Black Sea Region, Kyrgyzstan: Organic farming may become Kyrgyzstan's perfect future". Archived from the original on 2013-12-03. Retrieved 2013-11-28.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  16. 1 2 "Community organisation pursues an organic future in Kyrgyzstan". The Third Pole. 2021-08-20. Retrieved 2024-03-29.