Tag Archives: food

Central Asia worries about food supplies after the Kremlin extends sugar ban

MOSCOW/APRIL 10 2024 (The Bulletin) — The Kremlin said that it would extend its ban on sugar and grain exports by another five months to the end of August, sparking worries about supplies in Central Asia.

The original ban on sugar and grain exports was introduced in 2023 by the Kremlin to shore up supplies during its war with Ukraine.

But the ban has worried other countries across the former Soviet Union as they are partly reliant on Russian food imports.

Kazakhstan has already boosted its grain production, although heavy floods across the north of the country over the past fortnight will damage harvests, and Uzbekistan immediately issued a statement confirming that it has switched grain suppliers and now “mainly imported from Brazil and India”.

But for Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, Russia’s extended grain export ban is more of a headache.

Tajikistan had leaned heavily on Russia and analysts have said that it relies on Russia for a third of its imports.

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— This story was published in issue 564 of the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin, on April 15 2024

— Copyright the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin 2024

Police in Bishkek close pizza chain after illnesses

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BISHKEK/OCT. 27 2021 (The Bulletin) — Police closed down branches of Pizza Empire in Kyrgyzstan after 300 people fell ill after eating at one of its Bishkek restaurants.

The mass poisoning, one of the biggest recorded in Central Asia, highlights concerns that some people have had with hygiene and food safety standards in Kyrgyzstan.

Media reports said that of the 300 people who had been poisoned, 40 have been hospitalised. Pizza Empire often shares a restaurant, and a kitchen, with Sushi Empire.

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— This story was published in issue 505 of the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin, on Oct. 28 2021

— Copyright the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin 2021

Georgian flour mill workers call off strike

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JUNE 10 2021 (The Bulletin) — Workers at the Gulistani flour-milling plant in western Georgia have ended their 38-day strike after agreeing terms with management, said Georgia’s Trade Union of Agriculture and Industry. The trade union didn’t give any details of the terms and conditions reached. Georgia has been hit by a wave of industrial disputes this year.

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— This story was published in issue 48 of the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin, on June 16 2021

— Copyright the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin 2021

Berdymukhamedov wants to sell more ice cream to China

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JUNE 5 2021 (The Bulletin) — Turkmen President Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov ordered his government to increase ice cream exports to China. Turkmen state-owned media reported Mr Berdymukhamedov as saying that Turkmenistan had exported 400 tonnes of ice cream to China in 2020.

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— This story was published in issue 487 of the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin, on June 9 2021

— Copyright the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin 2021

Fire destroys top Georgian restaurant in Central Asia

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BISHKEK/JAN. 22 2021 (The Bulletin) — A late-night fire destroyed the Pur Pur Georgian restaurant in central Bishkek, considered by many to be the best Georgian restaurant in Central Asia.

Nobody was hurt in the blaze at the site just off Bishkek’s Philharmomic Square. Police have said that they are investigating the cause of the fire and have declined to comment on speculation of arson.

Pur Pur became a favourite venue for Bishkek-based diplomats wanting to wine and dine contacts and also a favoured hang-out for Central Asia’s small and thirsty foreign press corps. The Lonely Plant guidebook described the shabby-chic Pur Pur as serving “perhaps the best Georgian food this side of the Caspian” with tables groaning under “gigantic khachipuri and flowing decanters of house wine”.

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— This story was first published in issue 469 of the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin

— Copyright the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin 2021

Food prices rise in Turkmenistan because of coronavirus fears

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MARCH 26 (The Bulletin) — Turkmenistan has also not reported any cases of the coronavirus but Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty has reported that much like in Tajikistan, food prices have risen sharply. With regards, the economy, Pres. Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov may be more concerned about the fall in the price of oil than about the coronavirus.

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— This story was first published in issue 440 of the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin

— Copyright the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin 2020

Coronavirus worries spark panic buying in Tajikistan

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MARCH 26 (The Bulletin) — Tajikistan has still not recorded any cases of the coronavirus but analysts have said that concerns about health safety have still triggered panic buying and food price spikes. Reports from Tajikistan said that staple goods, such as potatoes and meat have increased by around 60% in price.

Thousands of migrant Tajik workers in Russia have also been stranded in Moscow airports after airlines cancelled flights to Tajikistan. An impending recession in Russia, linked to the collapse in oil prices and the coronavirus, will have a knock-on effect on the Tajik economy. It is heavily reliant on remittances sent back from Russia by its migrant workers.

Rather like President Emomali Rakhmon apparently ignoring the spread of the coronavirus, the Tajik Central Bank has not issued any statement on it and on March 20 instead congratulated Tajiks on the Nowruz festival.

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— This story was first published in issue 440 of the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin

— Copyright the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin 2020

US’ Tyson Fresh Meats to build beef processing plant in Kazakhstan

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ALMATY/DEC. 10 2019 (The Bulletin) –Tyson Fresh Meats, a subsidy of the US food giant Tyson Foods, signed a deal with the Kazakh government and the privately-owned Kazakh industrial conglomerate Kusto to build a production facility in the north of the country.

Neither side released financial information on the deal but media reported that the plant should be able to process up to 2,000 heads of cattle per day. By comparison, Tyson’s facilities in the US process around 20,000 heads of cattle per day.

Steve Stouffer, group president of Tyson Fresh Meats, was quoted as saying: “This opportunity supports one of our growth strategies to expand Tyson’s global business, and we look forward to bringing our expertise and capabilities to the country of Kazakhstan.”

Bordering China, Kazakhstan is also geographically important to Tyson’s Asia development plans. China has imposed a 47% tariff on beef imports from the US, part of the two countries protracted trade war. Beef produced in Kazakhstan will not be subject to this tariff.

Kazakhstan has been positioning itself increasingly as a place for cattle farmers to do business. Ranchers from the US have imported livestock to Kazakhstan and corporations have spent millions on improving facilities and promoting beef as a part of the Kazakh diet.

But the deal with Tyson, one of the biggest meat producers in the world, marks a major moment for Kazakhstan’s meat production sector.

Kazakh PM Askar Mamin said: “Tyson is a world-class company with the expertise necessary to help Kazakhstan jump-start the transformation of our agro-protein capabilities and help us create an ecosystem that will increase our beef herd size and establish conditions to support thousands of new high-quality jobs in the country.”
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— This story was first published in issue 432 of the weekly Bulletin on Dec. 27 2019

Nestle sells Uzbek water bottling company

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TASHKENT/July 18 (The Bulletin) — Swiss food and drinks producer Nestle sold its dairy and bottled-water business in Namangan, east Uzbekistan to France’s Lactlis for an undisclosed amount.

The deal finalises Nestle’s exit from Uzbekistan, in 2017 it sold its drinking water production site in Tashkent, although Lactlis will continue to use Nestle’s Nesquick, Nido and Nestle Pure Life brands in Uzbekistan under a licensing agreement.

Martial Rolland, the market head for Nestle’s businesses in Russia and Eurasia, said: “We continue to be committed to supply consumers with high-quality products and further grow our brands in Uzbekistan. Lactalis is one of the worldwide leaders in dairy and we are pleased to have found a strong partner for our dairy and water brands in Uzbekistan.”

In its press release, Nestle said that it would continue to sell its various other products directly in Uzbekistan.
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— This story was first published in issue 417 of the weekly Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin

Papa John’s says to open in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan

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ALMATY, AUG. 24 2017 (The Conway Bulletin) — US pizza chain Papa John’s said it would expand its franchise stores into Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, building on what it said was a successful venture into Russia and Belarus (Aug. 24). Papa John said that it planned to open its first restaurant in Almaty by the end of the year and that it would open 15 more by 2022. In Bishkek, it said it planned to open six restaurants.

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(News report from Issue No. 341, published on Aug. 27 2017)