Kyrgyzstan became the first country in Central Asia to lift the ban on the exports of onions earlier than it was previously decided. The temporary restriction on the exports of onions introduced by the government at the end of January was effective for a little more than a month instead of the expected three, EastFruit experts note.
“In accordance with the Decree of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Kyrgyz Republic dated March 3, 2023 No. 111, the temporary restriction on the export of onions has been lifted from March 3, 2023,” the official message on the Facebook page of the Ministry of Agriculture of the country says.
We remind you that after Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan introduced at the end of January 2023 a temporary restriction on the export of onions from January 31 to April 30, 2023, inclusive. The measure was explained by the need to ensure food security and contain prices for socially significant food products, which also included all types of onions.
However, in the second half of February 2023, the government of the country started preparing for the lifting of the restriction on onion exports – the Ministry of Agriculture of Kyrgyzstan drafted a resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic providing for the removal of restrictions on the export of onions.
“The (agricultural) department gave in to the demands of citizens and organizations of Kyrgyzstan that grow onions. In their opinion, the country has enough products to meet demand in the domestic market.
Today, the need of the population of Kyrgyzstan for onions per month is 6 000 tonnes. Farmers currently have reserves of about 50 000 tonnes, which means that this volume covers the needs of the population for 2-2.5 months,” Ekonomist.kg reports.
So, the ban on the exports of onions from Kyrgyzstan, introduced at the end of January 2023, was in effect from January 31 to March 3, 2023, that is, only 32 days instead of the expected three months. Kyrgyzstan became the first Central Asian country to cancel the temporary restriction on the exports of onions earlier than it was scheduled.
EastFruit has already written that farmers in Kazakhstan are calling on the government to assess the volume of onions needed for the domestic market and allow the surplus to be exported. They are worried that there is enough onion in the domestic market, and the rest could rot. To resolve the issue, farmers turned to the Atameken National Chamber of Entrepreneurs.
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