BISHKEK (TCA) — In the Sary-Be canyon of Kara Kuldzha district of Osh oblast in southern Kyrgyzstan, local beekeepers have created a buffer zone for the development of bee breeding, UNDP in Kyrgyzstan reported on its website.
This zone is a protective section for the development of livestock breeding to improve the marketability of bee products and the preservation of bee species that are in the breeding apiary of queen bees and bee colonies.
Within a radius of at least 20 km buffer zone, importation of other honey bees, bee colonies and queens of unknown origin is prohibited. This is the first buffer zone in Kyrgyzstan, which was established as a pilot, and which, in addition to the conservation and breeding of pedigreed bees, prevents the spread of diseases and parasites that will have a positive impact on the quality of honey produced here.
The buffer zone was opened this spring as part of measures to build and strengthen the added value chain for honey in Kara-Kuldzha. This is a joint achievement of the UNDP “Trade Support” project in Osh oblast and partners: “AgroLead” NGO and “Too Baly” Community unit.
“In this buffer zone there are six operating beekeepers, who, in addition to honey production, sell purebred queens, since we are receiving requests for them from other oblasts. Now Kyrgyz beekeepers have an opportunity to buy pedigreed bees at an affordable price, while before importing of queens cost beekeepers a tidy sum,” said the beekeeper Emil Sydykov, Head of the “Too Kapchygai baly” Community unit.
“This is the first such a buffer zone in the Kyrgyz Republic. In the near future it is planned to create other buffer zones in separate areas, but with other breeds of bees,” said Kayirkul Kazylaeva, Project manager of the “AgroLead” NGO.
“The UNDP Aid for Trade project, in the framework of the strengthening of the added value chain, conducts a number of activities for the production of quality honey to enter the external and internal markets of the Kyrgyz Republic. Currently, we conducted a series of trainings and consultations for pilot beekeepers in Kara-Kulja rayon and a demo day for the opening of the buffer beekeeping area became a platform for informing the local population about creation and development of this area,” said Azamat Kasymov, Coordinator of the UNDP “Aid for Trade” Project in Osh oblast.
This project was initiated by UNDP in partnership with the Ministry of Economy of the Kyrgyz Republic, the Chamber of Commerce of the Kyrgyz Republic and the State Enterprise of “Centre of one window principle in foreign trade” in 2014. The main objective of the project is to support domestic economic growth, through the promotion of trade and strengthening the competitiveness of manufacturers in the country, to reduce poverty and improve the livelihoods of people in Batken, Naryn, Osh and Jalal-Abad oblasts. The project is working to support farmers, small businesses and cooperatives that produce agricultural products, as well as manufacturers of handicraft goods.
