Tuesday, May 29, 2012 -
Agricultural authorities in Kyrgyzstan said they are ready to begin exporting meats to Saudi Arabia by September 2012, a Kyrgyz media outlet reported on Tuesday.
That intention was expressed by Kyrgyzstan’s top agricultural official during a recent visit to the Central Asia republic by a delegation from Riyadh, according to the Bishkek-based 24.kg news agency.
Saudi Arabia is primarily interested in mutton, while “later on it will be possible to export beef and poultry,” Minister of Agriculture and Melioration Askarbek Dzhanybekov said.
The ministry intends to build two meat processing complexes in the northern and southern areas of the country. They are expected to be located close to the international airports of Bishkek in the north and Osh city in the south.
The tiny country has more than 22 million acres of pasture land and a supportive environment to establish and develop animal husbandry, the minister noted.
The minister suggested that the government may extend loans to farmers interested in participating in expansion of the sector.
“Farmers need investments. With funds, they would be able to develop their farms. This would help increase the republic’s export potential,” said Dzhanybekov.
The Saudi delegation visited livestock farms throughout the country with a view to jointly establish ventures in animal husbandry, including sheep breeding as well as setting up a working group on developing and expanding these projects.