On October 25, 2017 Kompanion Bank successfully held the 12th annual Apple Festival which helped fruit-growers to sell about a thousand tons of apples.

The event took place in Iskra village of Leylek region (Batken oblast) with support from local government bodies. For the first time the festival was held in 2006 on the shore of Lake Issyk-Kul and since then it has become not only a good tradition, but also an effective economic platform for domestic farmers.

This year the festival was visited by about 700 guests, including processors from Tajikistan, who expressed their interest in buying apples. The festival became a real holiday for local residents: a fun concert program, an exhibition-fair of agricultural products, a tasting of fruit dishes.Mr. Munarbek Nasirov, the Head of the State Administration Office of Batken oblast, thanked Kompanion Bank for its contribution to the development of Kyrgyzstan’s agricultural sector.

The visitors of the event share their experiences:

Mansurov Kamalidin, farmer, buyer: “I bought 500 tons of Red Delicious and Reinette Simirenko (Wood's Greening) apples at the festival today. It’s very convenient that you can buy so many fruit in one place. I’ve got a special fruit storage. I’m going to resell the apples to Russia and Kazakhstan.”

Segizbaev Janyshbek, farmer, seller: “I sold 2.5 tons of apples today thanks to the Apple Festival. Very glad there is a platform where I can sell my crop.”

Abdullaev Jumabay, Head of Usmat Matkarimov farm: “I’ve participated in three Apple Festivals organized by Kompanion Bank. I can say that not only such events facilitate sharing experiences, but they also encourage farmers to export their products and sell it locally as well. I'd like to mention that for today’s event farmers have brought not only apples but other agricultural products too. For example, I’ve brought high quality certified cereal seeds that you can buy for less money here at the festival.”

Kompanion Bank will hold 13th Apple festival in Ala0Buka region of Jalalabat oblast in autumn next year.

About the Bank:

Kompanion Bank CJSC was established in 2004. Since its establishment, Kompanion has passed all stages of institutional development and has significantly expanded its presence in the market of Kyrgyzstan. The Bank with assets of KGS 6.1 billion and equity of KGS 1 billion 616 thousand serves more than 94 thousand clients and has 112 offices throughout the country. The shareholders of the Bank include Mercy Corps, an international non-governmental organization, Dutch development bank (FMO), and European investment funds of Triodos Investment Management.