Author: Suyuna Usmanov

Generally favorable conditions for spring grain planting will see Kazakhstan harvest 14 million tonnes of wheat in marketing year 2023-24, according to a Global Agricultural Information Network report from the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) of the US Department of Agriculture. The latest forecast for wheat is 1 million tonnes higher than FAS Post Astana’s original outlook in April with no significant changes to planted area at 12.9 million hectares, about 10,000 more hectares than 2022-23. Kazakhstan is estimated to have produced 16.4 million tonnes of wheat the previous marketing year. Wheat exports are seen at 9.5 million tonnes, the same…

High-level political engagement is going hand-in-hand with people-to-people interaction. From July 9–11, Kyrgyzstan’s president Sadyr Japarov arrived on an official visit to Mongolia. During talks, the parties discussed deepening relations and cooperation, strengthening mutual political trust and the legal framework of relations, as well as regional and international issues of mutual interest. The main outcome was the signing of the Joint Declaration of Establishing Friendship and Cooperation as well as 10 other cooperation agreements in the trade, environment, security, and cultural spheres. The visit was capped off with the inauguration of the Kyrgyz Embassy in Mongolia on July 11. There have been several examples of successful social and economic cooperation…

Labor shortages caused by Brexit have lead to a surge in worker quotas. Lines of mostly men ranging in age from their twenties to their forties filed into the main auditorium at a school in Kyrgyzstan’s capital, Bishkek, anxiously clutching their passports and documents. The group of a hundred or so were among the 6,800 applicants invited earlier this year to attend interviews as part of the selection process for jobs as seasonal farm laborers in the United Kingdom. With ever more migrants returning home to Kyrgyzstan to escape potential military recruitment and economic uncertainty in Russia, applying to work…

Paris, Washington (13/7 – 50) Kenes Rakishev (Keñes Hamitūly Raqyşev) aka Kenges Rakishev is an entrepreneur, philanthropist, former special envoy for Kazakhstan, head of the Kazakh boxing federation, a family man, and most importantly, a man of success. Under Kenges Rakishev’s leadership, the Kazakh female and male boxing squad leaped considerable forward and secured the top ranking in the recent boxing championship putting Kazakhstan boxing squarely in the top ranking in the world. A total of 21 medals were won by the Kazakhstan’s boxers – a tally of six gold, seven silver and eight bronze – and all were honoured…

During a parliamentary committee meeting, several People’s Deputies of the Kyrgyz Parliament suggested transitioning the Kyrgyz language from Cyrillic to the Latin alphabet. Emil Toktoshev and Kamila Taliyeva, two Kyrgyz parliament members, initiated the proposal. Toktoshev argued that Cyrillic-based Kyrgyz words were written incorrectly and that reform was necessary to preserve the state language. Kanibek Osmonaliyev, the chairman of the State Language Commission, stated that he was willing to switch to the Latin alphabet if the government approved the decision. Kyrgyzstan is the only Turkic-speaking country that uses the Cyrillic alphabet in everyday life. In 1993, the then-prime minister of…

Yurts are one of the most essential parts of Kyrgyz culture, and are more than just houses. They represent the family, the earth, and the universe, and cover everything from birth to death. Yurts hold much of Kyrgyz culture, from important rituals and ceremonies, to craftsmanship and traditional artistry. Yurts can be found across Eurasia, though with slightly different materials, dimensions or traditions. Kyrgyz yurts are made of a cupola birch poles tied to a latticework that forms the vertical walls. The outside is made of felt and wool, which is water repellent and warm, and can be easily patched…

Russia has suspended the import of dairy products from Kyrgyzstan after the chairman of Kyrgyzstan’s National Commission for the State Language and Language Policies, Kanybek Osmonaliev, said his country is ready to start working on switching the Kyrgyz language from Cyrillic to a Latin-based alphabet. Russia’s agriculture products watchdog, Rosselkhoznadzor, said in a statement on April 21 that the move was made following the inspection of Kyrgyz dairy products and milk farms last week, which revealed an “inefficiency” in control by Kyrgyz dairy companies over product quality. No specific issues were mentioned. Russia has for years used Rosselkhoznadzor as a blunt foreign…

Around 20,000 homebuyers have been waiting for over a decade to take possession of homes as JIL failed to deliver flats as per the stipulated time frame, citing a financial crisis in the company. After the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) on Tuesday approved the resolution plan of Mumbai-based Suraksha Group to take over debt-ridden Jaypee Infratech Limited (JIL), homebuyers have termed the development ”the best Holi gift” as they are now hopeful of getting possession of flats soon. Around 20,000 homebuyers have been waiting for over a decade to take possession of homes as JIL failed to deliver flats as per…

Central Asian states keep close ties with Moscow, but younger citizens of former Soviet nations are questioning traditional alliances. Serik Talipzhanov does not like Russia any more. The 32-year-old bank cashier lives in Almaty, Kazakhstan’s former capital and the financial hub of ex-Soviet Central Asia. The city is still largely Russian-speaking, and Talipzhanov, who can name several generations of his ethnic Kazakh forefathers, considers Russian his mother tongue. But his opinion about Kazakhstan’s former imperial master and beacon of soft power underwent an ideological U-turn in the past year, mostly due to the widely documented atrocities Russian servicemen committed in…

The economic crisis in Pakistan continues to worsen with common people struggling for basic commodities, and essential medicines amid the impact on the healthcare sector of the South Asian nation.  The latest report by India-based news agency ANI mentioned that the nation is facing a shortage is forex reserves, which has affected Pakistan’s capacity to import the required medicines. The nation also faces difficulties in importing Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API), which are used in domestic production. It has resulted in a reduction in production by local pharmaceutical manufacturers, leaving patients suffering in hospitals. The report also mentions that doctors are…