BISHKEK (TCA) — The official presentation and demonstration of the mobile grain drying equipment was held last week in Gairat village of Kara-Suu district of Kyrgyzstan’s Osh province. The equipment was provided as part of UNDP’s “Aid for Trade” project funded by the Government of Finland, UNDP in the Kyrgyz Republic reported.
To increase the quality of grain production and its further marketing, the local cooperative “Zoloto Doliny” (Gold of the Valley) has been provided with a mobile grain dryer worth $60,000. The equipment is capable to process 70 tons of grain within a few hours. It is the first such mobile grain dryer in the south of Kyrgyzstan.
“The procurement of this powerful equipment is a great achievement for the farmers of our area. This grain drying equipment can process not only corn seeds but also other cereals such as wheat and barley with regard to their specifications right after the harvest and opens up great opportunities for export. Grain processed by such drying equipment meets all the requirements of certification and laboratory analysis,” said Kubanichbek Mamedov, head of the Agro Development Department of the Kara-Suu district.
The cooperative “Zoloto Doliny”, which unites more than 150 farmers, received more than 3,000 tons of grain last year. This membership organization, together with other partners, provides services to members and other producers of agricultural products in the south of Kyrgyzstan for mechanized cultivation, drying and storage of corn. It also provides for the sale of products in external and domestic markets. Farmers sell their products to large consumers at a competitive price, which leads to the inclusive growth of the local community through increasing corn production.
“The mobile grain drying equipment was provided to the cooperative ‘Zoloto Doliny’ last autumn by UNDP’s ‘Aid for Trade’ project in the framework of value added chain for corn. Such equipment for drying grain is the first in the south of the Kyrgyz Republic, and we believe that it will become an effective tool for obtaining high-quality corn grain with necessary condition and humidity, that is ready for sale immediately after the harvest. It means that farmers increase their income, without wasting time on traditional drying of grain in the open air and do not depend on the weather,” said Azamat Kasymov, “Aid for Trade” Project Coordinator of UNDP Osh Area-Based Development Programme.
The “Aid for Trade” project is a part of the regional program (Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan) which facilitates promotion and implementation of approaches for sustainable development in trade policy with regard to regional and international trade agreements, and a focus on the development of domestic agricultural products export.
