In the long term, the use of green technologies will help Kyrgyzstan strengthen food security, improve export potential, and contribute to global efforts to combat climate change.
Such recommendations were made today during the seminar "Green incentives and barriers for SMEs in the field of agriculture, agriculture and water use", held on November 27, 2024. with the participation of representatives of government agencies, agricultural producers, farmers, etc.
It was stated that the application of innovations such as precision farming, renewable energy and sustainable resource management contributes to increased productivity, improved product quality and environmental protection.
Meanwhile, the Law of the Kyrgyz Republic "On Farms", adopted in 1999, no longer meets modern requirements. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a new law that corresponds to the FAO guidelines on family farming. In addition, the experts voiced a number of requirements for improving local legislation in the agricultural sector.
In order to study the situation with NPAs, UNISON Group experts conducted a content analysis of the legislation of the Kyrgyz Republic and identified government incentives for SMEs in the agricultural sector as a whole.
The support of the government and international organizations plays a key role in the implementation of these projects, but success also depends on the involvement of farmers themselves.
"Farmers have not yet learned how to minimize their costs and increase their profitability. As soon as they change their vision of how to make a profit, but at the same time preserve technology and use energy-efficient methods, they will open up another side of doing business. Many regulatory legal acts have not been finalized, there are benefits, but they are common and not everyone can take advantage of them," Baktygul Askeralieva, Chairman of the Board of the Agro Union Association.
"It is necessary to carry out educational work, improve legislation and jointly develop a strategy for the development of the agricultural sector. The green economy is a principle that needs a foundation. The main problem is the conservatism of our farmers. They cling to the old and do not perceive the new well. Our task is to break the chain of prejudice. We need to work on this together. We are divided: science is separate, sectors are separate, there is no coherence in actions," Manas Samatov, Chairman of the Bai Bagban Association.
"Thanks to the work of experts, recommendations on incentive measures and assistance to companies in the transition to a green economy were collected in two days. We understand that the measures are not functioning properly, and additional efforts need to be made to make them work and be useful for business. The business community should also not stay on the sidelines, but consolidate its efforts," Bakai Zhunushev, Senior Manager of Small Business Advisory Services at the EBRD.
All participants agreed that work on joint efforts to promote green technologies at the legislative level will continue.
It should be noted that the seminar was organized by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) together with the National Research Institute for the President of the Kyrgyz Republic and UNISON Group within the framework of the project "Promotion of government incentives for the SME sector to transition to a green economy", implemented with the support of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the Government of Switzerland.
