Kyrgyzstan’s Ministry of Water Resources, Agriculture and Processing Industry has begun the first-ever agronomic testing of citrus and olive crops, including oranges, mandarins, olives, and kumquats (a type of orange).
Seedlings have been brought from Turkey for experimental planting in the Kadamjai district of Kyrgyzstan’s southernmost Batken region, where the agro-climatic conditions are most favorable for the adaptation of heat-loving crops. The experiment is aimed at assessing the stability of the new crops in the conditions of Kyrgyzstan for further scaling up plantings in the southern regions of the country.
The tests will assess the resistance of plants to climatic and soil conditions, their productivity, as well as resistance to diseases and pests. If the results are positive, these crops will be recommended for cultivation on farms and household plots, both for the purpose of saturating the domestic market and for subsequent export.
The initiative marks an important step towards diversifying agricultural production in Kyrgyzstan.
According to Bakyt Mambetov, Director of the ministry’s Department for Examination of Agricultural Crops and Horticulture, the future cultivation of citrus crops and olives opens up new opportunities for highly profitable horticulture and expansion of the country’s export potential.
