Baltabaev noted that the country has already achieved self-sufficiency in six socially significant products; however, in oil production, Kyrgyzstan has to rely on raw material imports from Russia.
Due to the specific climate, sunflower seeds are sourced from the Russian Federation, but domestic farmers have the opportunity for import substitution by using safflower.
“Safflower today represents a very promising oilseed crop for Kyrgyzstan. It is successfully grown in the Naryn and Chui regions. Our producers have already started purchasing local raw materials and producing vegetable oil, which is in demand in the market. We plan to develop this direction to reduce dependence on imports,” he emphasized.
Baltabaev added that the government will support projects in these three "problematic" sectors through cluster lending programs. The goal is to annually reduce the share of imports of bread, fruits, and oil by 5-10%, providing preferential loans and subsidies to unite farmers and processors into sustainable chains.
