Country Profiles FMCG
Industries
With more than 1,000 insight-rich pages covering
81
countries and territories, Country Profiles
offer current and comprehensive business
information, from local laws and taxes to political
and market conditions Make them part of your smart
trade discovery process.
Agro-Industry Development
Agriculture in Kyrgyzstan is a
significant sector of the economy. According to
the CIA World Factbook, it comprises 35.3% of
the total GDP and occupies 55% of the total
labor force. Only 7.5% 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.
Cultivation is centered in the Ferghana Valley,
Talas Province, and Chuy Province.
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..
A
country of striking
beauty and towering
peaks, Kyrgyzstan
became independent
with the collapse of
the Soviet Union in
1991.
While
Kyrgyzstan does
possess oil and gas
resources, it
imports the vast
bulk of what it
needs. The economic
situation is dire,
particularly in the
south where
unemployment is very
high and poverty
rife, and the
country's politics
have turned volatile
in recent years.
In 2005, a
popular revolt sparked by
allegations of government
interference in
parliamentary elections
and fuelled by poverty and
corruption, swept the
former president, Askar
Akayev, from power. He had
led the country since
independence.
AT-A-GLANCE
Politics: Popular
uprising in 2005 -
the Tulip
Revolution -
toppled Askar
Akayev, leader
since independence
from Soviet Union
in 1991; rule of
Kurmanbek Bakiyev
has been marked by
squabbling and
instability
Economics:
Kyrgyzstan is one
of the poorest
countries of the
former Soviet
Union
International:
Kyrgyzstan hosts
Russian and US
military airbases
Kyrgyzstan
is a multi-ethnic state
comprising Kyrgyz, Uzbeks,
Tajiks, Russians,
Ukrainians and Germans,
and a small number of
Uighur, Dungan - Chinese
Muslims - and Koreans.
There is
tension between the Kyrgyz
and Uzbek communities in
border areas over access
to land and housing.
Relations between the two
countries were strained
following the bloodshed in
Uzbekistan's Andijan
region in 2005 when
hundreds fled across the
border to seek refuge in
Kyrgyzstan.
While most
of the population remains
largely secular, there has
been a growing interest in
Islam among those seeking
a new ethnic or national
identity.
The
government is worried that
more hard-line groups,
such as Hizb-ut Tahrir,
may be also making
inroads, and there have
been periodic outbreaks of
fighting between security
forces and militants in
the south of country.
In the
early 1990s, Kyrgyzstan's
democratic credentials
were regarded as
relatively strong. This
reputation was
subsequently lost as
corruption and nepotism
took hold during President
Akayev's years in office.
Parliamentary and
presidential elections
were flawed, opposition
figures faced harassment
and imprisonment while
opposition newspapers were
closed.
The country
lies at the centre of
US-Russian rivalry for
control of conflict-prone
Central Asia. Both powers
have military air bases in
the country.
The US
established an air base at
the Manas international
airport near Bishkek in
late 2001 to support
military operations in
Afghanistan.
However, in
a major potential blow for
US and Nato operations in
Afghanistan, President
Bakiyev in October 2008
announced the closure of
the base, after agreeing
to a Russian loan. The
decision was soon reversed
when the US agreed to more
than triple the annual
rent for the base.
Weeks later
Kyrgyzstan tentatively
agreed to allow Russia to
open a second military
base on its territory,
apparently expanding
Moscow's military reach to
balance out the US
presence.
Kurmanbek
Bakiyev was voted into
office shortly after the
so-called Tulip Revolution
of 2005 that overthrew the
government of Askar Akayev.
Kurmanbek Bakiyev:
Protests led to
his predecessor's
downfall
He won
re-election in July 2009
with a landslide 89
percent of the vote, but
the elections were
criticised by the
opposition and foreign
observers as undemocratic.
In his
inauguration address
Bakiyev said he had
restored stability and
peace to the volatile
country in his first term.
He earmarked fighting
corruption and reducing
poverty as among the key
priorities for his
government.
Rumbling
unrest has posed a
challenge to his
authority. Several MPs
have been shot since he
came to power, force has
been used to put down
deadly prison riots and
there are allegations that
the influence of organised
crime is increasing.
He has had
a tempestuous relationship
with parliament, having
accused MPs of obstructing
key legislation and
contributing to
instability. MPs accused
him of backtracking on
promises to redistribute
some of his powers to
parliament.
Tensions
came to a head in November
2006. After days of mass
protests in the capital,
the president signed a new
draft constitution which
curtailed his powers and
gave more authority to
parliament.
A few weeks
later, the government
resigned and the president
pushed through revisions
to the November
constitution, reinstating
some of his powers.
In March
2007 the opposition
stepped up pressure on the
president to resign,
threatening mass protests.
Mr Bakiyev responded by
agreeing to appoint a
moderate opposition MP as
prime minister.
In October,
voters approved
constitutional amendments
which, according to the
president, strengthened
parliament - a view
disputed by the
opposition. Two months
later, Mr Bakiyev's party
won an overwhelming
majority in a snap
parliamentary election.
International monitors
described both votes as
flawed.
Born in
1949, Kurmanbek Bakiyev
trained as an engineer but
soon gained a reputation
as a successful factory
boss. In the 1990s he
worked as an economic
manager and a regional
governor.
Mr Bakiyev
became prime minister at
the end of 2000. He joined
the opposition after he
was forced to resign from
that post in 2002
following an incident in
which several opposition
demonstrators were shot
dead by police.
He became
leader of the newly formed
Ak Zhol party in October
2007, and is originally
from the south of the
country.
The media
in Kyrgyzstan have
traditionally enjoyed
greater editorial freedom
than their regional
counterparts, but have
been subject to increasing
pressure in recent years.
Large
fines, often the outcome
of legal actions for
slander, create financial
burdens for opposition and
private media outlets,
according to press freedom
watchdog Reporters Without
Borders.
Editorial
content is also influenced
by informal government
censorship and
self-censorship among
journalists, says the
US-funded Internews media
organisation.
TV is the
dominant medium. National
state-run radio and TV
networks have yet to
achieve complete coverage,
especially in the south.
Most
private broadcasters and
publishers operate in a
difficult financial
climate. Most of the
non-state TV and radio
stations are based in
Bishkek.
There were
750,000 internet users by
March 2008 (ITU figure).
The net has yet to make
significant inroads
outside the towns and
cities.
>> Mauritania
©
2008, www.tajagroproducts.com All rights reserved.