Kumtor Gold Company and Kyrgyz Agro-Input Enterprise Development Project Will Rehabilitate 2,000 Hectares of Land in Issyk-Kul Oblast

Kumtor Gold Company and Kyrgyz Agro-Input Enterprise Development Project Will Rehabilitate 2,000 Hectares of Land in Issyk-Kul Oblast

published: 22 May 2013

Kumtor Operating CompanyOn May 22, 2013 the Kumtor Gold Company CJSC (KGC) and the USAID-funded Kyrgyz Agro-Input Enterprise Development (KAED) Project will launch a joint project on rehabilitation of two sites with a total acreage of 2,000 hectares in Ak-Dobo and Lipenka rural councils, Issyk-Kul Oblast. The launching ceremony will take place in Lipenka rural council, Jeti-Oguz Rayon, Issyk-Kul Oblast. It is planned to complete rehabilitation works in the Ak-Dobo rural council by September 2013 and in the Lipenka rural council by November 2013.

Rehabilitation of the sites requires 200,000 U.S. dollars, which has already been committed by KGC. KAED project and local farmers will invest an additional 170,000 U.S dollars in expertise and labor. The main objective of this joint project is to prevent degradation of agricultural land by restoring soil fertility and rehabilitating irrigation systems.

“This project will draw on the successful examples and lessons of KAED work on land rehabilitation in southern Kyrgyzstan, where five sites were rehabilitated and a total of 1,700 hectares of land were brought back into production. This large-scale project on the southern shore of Issyk-Kul is important for the local population. On the first site in the Lipenka rural council a dam will be built, the Samat-Kol pump station will be rebuilt, a transformer substation will be installed, and irrigation channels will be replaced. On the second site in Ak-Dobo rural council the project will carry out works on cleaning the daily runoff pond, repairing a decant tower, and building the daily runoff pond dam”, – noted Hiqmet Demiri, Chief of Party of KAED project.

“KGC contributes to the development of local communities in the areas of its operation and is committed to invest resources to help local communities improve their productivity and profitability in the agricultural sector, where the majority of the population is engaged. As a result of this project some 2,000 hectares of land will be brought back into agricultural production after rehabilitation of land and refurbishment of irrigation infrastructure in Ak-Dobo and Lipenka rural councils.”, – noted the President of Kumtor Operating Company, Michael Fischer.