Kyrgyzstan has grown a good harvest of sugar beets, there will be no sugar shortage. This is good news for consumers, but farmers are concerned about the issue of selling the product at an adequate price.
Deputy General Director of Kaindy Kant OJSC Taalaibek Sydykov reported that this year farmers have planted sugar beets on an area of about 15 thousand hectares, from which they plan to harvest up to 900 thousand tons of root crops.
“Earlier, we conducted laboratory studies of the sugar content level, on average in the country it was 14 percent, which corresponds to the norm. There are seven sugar beet receivers in the republic, our plant has six of its own. Such great interest of farmers in growing this crop is due to the fact that we not only provide farmers with seeds, but also give guarantees for the reception and processing of the crop,” Sydykov said.
Head of the Sugar Cluster of the Agro-Industrial Complex Association of the Kyrgyz Republic Almaz Altybaev asked questions about how and at what price to sell finished sugar.
“Having processed 900 thousand tons of beets, we will receive 120 thousand tons of pure sugar. This volume will fully cover the basic needs of the population without taking into account the production of confectionery, which requires another 30 thousand tons. This season, the factories will most likely work until March <…> Today, the question arises of what mechanisms can be used to protect agricultural producers from a possible sharp drop in product prices. The factories have 3 thousand contracts, more than 70 percent of the sugar produced under the tolling scheme will be issued in the form of a product. Whatever solutions the government proposes, they will not be for the factories, but for the farmers,” Altybaev noted.
He recalled that in 2019, other countries produced surplus sugar, which flooded the Kyrgyz market, causing prices to collapse so much that local farmers were unable to recoup their costs.
“Sugar can be stored for up to four years, but special premises are needed where a certain humidity and ventilation will be provided. We have almost no such warehouses, so the maximum period during which sugar can be stored is two years. Then it lumps and loses its marketable appearance, and all that remains is to send it for reprocessing,” the expert explained.
The Ministry of Agriculture of the Kyrgyz Republic has prepared a draft resolution banning the import of sugar from third countries; it has already been agreed upon with other departments. The document may affect importers from countries outside the EAEU.
Source: https://ru.sputnik.kg/20240918/kyrgyzstan-sakhar-pererabotka-promyshlennost-rynok-fermery-proizvodstvo-1088804365.html