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Kazakhstan Develops Program to Revive Famous Aport Apple Variety

Kazakhstan's Ministry of Agriculture in cooperation with the National Agrarian Scientific and Educational Center have launched a program to revive the legendary Kazakh apple variety - aport. Aport is a capricious variety that requires special cultivation conditions. Quality apples can only be produced in orchards growing 850-1,250 meters above sea level. There are few such areas in the foothills of Almaty and the nearby region. Unlike other apple varieties, which begin to bear fruit in 4-6 years, aport needs 8-9 years to give a first harvest. Nevertheless, aport apples, distinguished by their large size, distinct smell, and succulent nature, are in great demand. The aport revival program, designed for 2024-2028, involves private investors and specialized nurseries. The program will grow the required number of saplings to begin the full-scale commercial cultivation of apple orchards. In the first stage, in 2024, the seeds of the Sievers apple tree were collected, and the development of national standards for growing Kazakhstan's aport began. In 2025, seedlings will be planted on ten hectares to become a mother garden supplying saplings for nurseries. During the next two years, it is planned to grow a sufficient number of saplings to plant an orchard on 100 hectares. Later, aport saplings will be offered to private gardeners for commercial cultivation. In 1970, there were 3.8 million aport trees in Kazakhstan, but by 1984, only 1.4 million remained. In 2012, scientific research began on the revival and rejuvenation of the variety, including establishing an experimental garden of aport grafted onto Sievers apple trees. In 2023, Kazakh scholars harvested the first large fruits weighing 400-500 g. Kazakhstan is the birthplace of apples — particularly the famous aport apples, which grow in the Almaty region. Translated from Kazakh, Almaty roughly means “place of abundance of apples.” One of Almaty's main landmarks, the first sight to greet visitors to Mount Kok-Tobe, which looms over the city, is a granite statue of an apple with water gushing from its core.

Local Economy Construction Infrastructure Development multimodal transportation Economy growth

Kazakhstan Opens its Longest Bridge

The Kazakh government's press service has reported that on October 21, Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov attended the opening of Kazakhstan’s longest bridge. Spanning 1,316 meters across the Bukhtarma Reservoir, the new bridge which connects six districts of Kazakhstan's eastern region, can accommodate up to 80,000 vehicles per day and reduce travelling time from hours to minutes. In his address at the launch, the president stressed that the bridge would allow for safe year-round traffic and accelerate the region's socio-economic development, stating: "For 50 years, residents of the region traveled [across the reservoir] either by ferry in the summer or directly on the ice in the winter and have been waiting for the bridge's construction for a long time." East Kazakhstan is a strategic region through which important transport corridors pass. The bridge across the Bukhtarma Reservoir will improve transport and logistics routes, ensure uninterrupted connections with bordering countries, and help unlock the region's tourism potential. The new bridge follows the opening of the country's longest automobile tunnel in September at the Shakpak Baba Pass in southern Turkestan.

Transport Economy Construction Local Economy Infrastructure Development roads

New Road Promised for Kyrgyzstan’s Highest Village

The Ministry of Transport and Communications of Kyrgyzstan has announced a tender for the construction of a road to Kyrgyzstan's highest village of Zardaly in the Batken oblast. Authorities have set aside 389 million KGS ($4.5 million) for the construction of the 4.2 kilometer road and according to published data, bids will be accepted until October 22 this year. The village of Zardaly is located in the highlands on Kyrgyzstan's border with Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. At present, only one narrow, stony road leads to the settlement, accessible only between May to October. With the onset of cold weather, snow makes it impossible to get to the village, and residents are cut off from the outside world. It should be noted that Zardaly lacks cellular communication, the recently installed internet only serves the local school, and there are significant problems with electricity. As a local proverb says, “If there is no urgent business - do not enter Zardaly." On the day prior to the announcement of the tender, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Zhaparov visited Zardaly by helicopter. Whilst there, he promised residents that a highway would be built in the village in spring 2025, after which electricity would be supplied. He also instructed the presidential administration to solve the issue of cellular communications in the region. In earlier complaints about the situation in the village, Kyrgyzstan's ombudsman said that although Zardaly became a village in 2016, residents still require help accessing medical services and quality education.

Finance Banking Local Economy

Turkmenistan Sees Increase in Number of Bank Cards

As of September 1, over 5.8 million bank cards were registered in Turkmenistan, indicating a growing interest in cashless payments in the country. Since the beginning of 2024, the number of cards issued has increased by 4.7%, from 5.562 million in January to 5.823 million in September. There was a slight increase during August and September, with about 38,600 cards added, a 0.67% increase from the previous month. Looking at the trend of recent years, 5.177 million cards were issued in January 2023, an 8.5% increase from 4.771 million at the beginning of 2022. The main factor driving this growth is the availability of financial services, as more and more people can use banking products and transition to cashless payments. Government initiatives to digitalize the economy contribute to this process.

Transport Healthcare Air Pollution Social Local Economy

Better Buses Help Air Quality in Bishkek to Improve

Officials claim that the air quality in Kyrgyzstan’s capital, Bishkek, has significantly improved over the last two years due to the ongoing renewal of the municipal transport fleet, switching residential heating from coal to natural gas, and extinguishing the sanitary landfill near Bishkek that had burned for decades. Chyngyzbek Abdymalik Uulu, an atmospheric air specialist at the Kyrgyz Ministry of Natural Resources, Ecology, and Technical Supervision, told Birinchi Radio that the primary sources of air pollution in Bishkek were low-quality coal, exhaust gases from motor transport, and the burning of municipal solid waste at the city landfill. The official says that, in large part, the air quality has improved due to the decreasing number of minibuses on Bishkek streets. Over the past 30 years, "markhrutka" minibuses — mainly aged Mercedes minivans — have been the primary type of municipal transport in Bishkek, vastly surpassing in number the limited fleet of large buses and trolleybuses. Running on diesel, these old marshrutkas spew harmful gases into the atmosphere and congest city traffic, since they stop anywhere on demand. Abdymalik Uulu said more than 3,000 minibuses ran in the capital until 2022. After their number was reduced over the last two years, diesel fuel consumption decreased by 100 tons daily. The Bishkek municipality has now removed the minibuses from the central part of the city and replaced them with large buses running on liquefied natural gas. In 2023, Bishkek purchased a thousand large buses from China, which have been arriving in the capital city in batches over the past year. Today, the municipal fleet has 1,200 buses. In addition, by the end of 2024, the city will receive 100 12-meter-long buses, and 120 electric buses will arrive in the second quarter of 2025. Both officials and analysts agree that renewing the municipal transport fleet will improve the air quality in Bishkek. Abdymalik Uulu added that gasification is another reason for the improved air quality. To date, about 20,000 households have been connected to natural gas networks, which has decreased coal burning by 58,000 tons. Also, he said, all of Bishkek’s 74 large boiler houses that used to burn large amounts of coal daily have now been converted to electricity and natural gas. Finally, the Bishkek sanitary landfill, which burned for decades and released large volumes of harmful emissions, has been completely extinguished.

ADB Climate Change Sustainable tourism Wastewater treatment Local Economy

ADB Funds Wastewater Management and Sustainable Tourism in Issyk-Kul, Kyrgyzstan

On June 24, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) announced its provision of $56 million to improve wastewater management and enhance sustainable and inclusive tourism in Kyrgyzstan’s Issyk-Kul region. The funding comprises a $25 million concessional loan and a $31 million Asian Development Fund (ADF) grant. The Issyk-Kul region, with its rich ecological and biological diversity and Issyk-Kul Lake, has long been a popular tourist destination, with some 80% of holidaymakers choosing to stay at the lakeside resort of Cholpon-Ata. However, due to its age, the town’s wastewater network currently serves just half of the permanent population and excludes almost a third of tourism facilities. To address the issue, ADB funds will be invested in a climate-resilient infrastructure including a wastewater treatment plant, pumping stations, and improved sewer infrastructure, serving Cholpon-Ata's main resorts, guesthouses, residential and business sectors. In tandem with helping preserve the environment around the lake, the initiative will support local authorities in developing a climate-resilient tourism master plan for the area. The project will also boost the area's tourism infrastructure through the creation of a museum and information centre, improving and conserving the local archaeological heritage site, constructing bike trails and walking paths around the lake's shoreline, upgrading three public parks, and facilitating access to green spaces. ADB Director General for Central and West Asia Yevgeniy Zhukov commented: “Economic growth can be driven by low-carbon tourism built on sound environmental practices and climate-resilient infrastructure. ADB’s project addresses critical challenges faced by Cholpon-Ata’s tourism industry. By integrating environmental improvements and wastewater investments with tourism infrastructure, we are helping shift Kyrgyz Republic to a low-carbon growth trajectory.”