BISHKEK, Jan. 7 ( Xinhua ) -- Kyrgyzstan has high hopes of an agro-industrial cooperation zone built by a Chinese enterprise, Minister of Economy of Kyrgyzstan, Arzybek Kozhoshev, has said.
"We are impressed by the fact that the project aims to produce organically pure products. And I am happy that the complex will be one of the largest ones in Central Asia," he told Xinhua in an interview.
"I hope that the project will be implemented, and the Ministry of Economy of Kyrgyzstan supports this initiative. And we will assist to solve all the issues," the minister said.
The total area of Iskra Asia agro-industrial cooperation zone is 4.6 square kilometers. It is located near the village of Iskra in Chuy valley, 60 km east of Bishkek, the capital of the country.
The main initiator and investor of this project is Henan Guiyou Industrial Group. The Chinese company has invested in the project of construction of the poultry farm of Iskra Asia in the village of Iskra.
The construction of the complex will take place in three stages and the completion is scheduled for 2020. The cooperation zone is divided into such sectors as breeding, rearing, fattening, slaughter, feed processing, food processing, as well as the logistics center of frozen products and the center of international trade.
It is expected that in six years, it will become an international center in three areas -- cultivation, production and supply of meat products.
The minister said the State Agency for Investment and Export Promotion under the Ministry of Economy of Kyrgyzstan and Henan Guiyou Industrial Group signed a memorandum on strategic cooperation on financing and implementation of the Iskra Asia agricultural cooperation zone construction project in Kyrgyzstan.
Speaking about preferences, the Kyrgyz minister said that the issue would be considered after concluding the investment agreement.
"Now Kyrgyzstan has many preferences. We have the most liberal tax regime, low tax rates, besides agricultural processing sphere is exempted from all taxes. In the CIS countries Kyrgyzstan has the lowest tax burden," Kozhoshev said.
Alymbek Orozbekov, director of the State Agency for Investment and Export Promotion, said that starting from 2013 within the frameworks of Kyrgyz national strategy for sustainable development, green growth and green economy are one the important component of the policy of Kyrgyzstan.
"Iskra Asia is one of the main projects and this project is in line with green growth and green economy policy," Orozbekov told Xinhua.
He hoped that this project would be one of the good examples of green projects in the Kyrgyz Republic and in the region.
