The government of Kyrgyzstan and British company Concrete Canvas have signed an agreement to build a plant in Kyrgyzstan that will produce flexible concrete canvas, the government’s press service announced on February 6.

Concrete Canvas manufactures waterproof, flexible, concrete-filled geosynthetic composite mats, primarily used to line irrigation canals to prevent erosion and reduce seepage losses. The planned production capacity of the new plant is at least 5 million square meters of concrete canvas per year.

At the signing ceremony in Bishkek, Chairman of the Kyrgyz Cabinet of Ministers, Adylbek Kasymaliyev, highlighted the project as an example of an effective public-private partnership. He noted that five tons of this innovative material could replace 100 tons of cement in canal lining, significantly improving installation efficiency while delivering the same expected results.

The agreement follows negotiations in April 2024, when representatives of Concrete Canvas visited Kyrgyzstan to discuss the project. The talks involved Kyrgyz Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers and Minister of Water Resources, Agriculture, and Processing Industry, Bakyt Torobayev, and the then British Foreign Secretary, David Cameron, who was on an official visit.

Torobayev underscored the importance of the material, stating, “Across Kyrgyzstan, the length of canals is 30,000 km, including 11,000 km of unsurfaced canals. By laying concrete material on these canals, we will avoid seepage of water and ensure its efficient use. Kyrgyzstan is an agricultural country with a lot of arable land, so we really need such materials.”

He also confirmed that the British company’s plant will be built in the Osh region, in southern Kyrgyzstan.

On February 6, in Beijing, Kyrgyzstan’s Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers and Minister of Water Resources, Agriculture, and Processing Industry, Bakyt Torobayev, and China’s Head of the General Administration of Customs, Sun Meijun, signed protocols allowing the export of Kyrgyz agricultural products to China. The approved goods include beans, wool, cashmere, poultry meat, and offal.

Torobayev emphasized that these agreements represent an important step forward in strengthening trade and economic ties between Kyrgyzstan and China.

According to the Kyrgyz Ministry of Water Resources, Agriculture, and Processing Industry, trade turnover between the two countries nearly tripled from 2019 to 2023, reaching $5.433 billion – a 31.6% increase from 2022. In January-November 2024, bilateral trade continued to grow, rising by 6.9%.

The Kyrgyz minister expressed optimism about the early signing of additional export protocols for dried fruits, fresh fruits, vegetables, berries, raw cattle hides, and heat-treated meat. “We are confident that these goods will be in demand in the Chinese market,” he stated.

To facilitate trade, Torobayev proposed establishing a Chinese certification body’s representative office in Kyrgyzstan to simplify the certification process for Kyrgyz exports to China.

During his visit to Beijing, Torobayev also met with Jilin Teyan Biotechnology Co., Ltd., a Chinese manufacturer of veterinary vaccines, to discuss the supply of vaccines to Kyrgyzstan. The company expressed interest in building a vaccine production plant in Kyrgyzstan to manufacture treatments for cattle and poultry diseases.

These discussions took place as part of Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov’s state visit to China from February 4 to 7. During a meeting on February 5, Chinese President Xi Jinping reaffirmed China’s commitment to expanding economic, trade, and investment cooperation with Kyrgyzstan and expressed China’s willingness to import more high-quality agricultural products from the country.