BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan, January 8. Kyrgyzstan’s President Sadyr Zhaparov has signed a decree prolonging the moratorium on the exemption of farmers from land tax until 2030, TurkicWorld reports via his social media page.
"By 2030, we will resolve the issue of land irrigation, build primary and secondary irrigation canals, completely clean the existing ones, and construct new ones where necessary. In general, we'll solve the water problem for farmers. After that, we'll resume collecting taxes," said the president.
According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Kyrgyzstan's economy heavily depends on agriculture, and the water deficit is becoming an increasingly urgent issue.
The main source of irrigation is meltwater from the mountains, but climate change is already significantly reducing its availability. Glaciers are melting, and the insufficient amount of snow fails to compensate for the loss of water resources.
