Field Monitoring Confirms Strong Potential for Seed Potato Production in At-Bashy District
From 6 to 8 October 2026, field monitoring was conducted in the villages of Acha-Kaiyndy, Kalinin and Bash-Kaiyndy in At-Bashy District, Naryn Region, under the Seed Potato Value Chain (VC) scheme.
The main objectives were to assess seed potato production results, verify actual yields, review harvesting and seed storage conditions, and validate data on participating farmers and cultivated areas.
The monitoring covered nine farmers cultivating seed potatoes on approximately 26.4 hectares. The assessment included European varieties such as Camelia, Perdiz, Colombo, Silvana, Challenger, Rashida, Lucinda, Livra and Quintera.
The field assessment recorded yields ranging from 30 to 50 tonnes per hectare, with a weighted average yield of 38-41.9 tonnes per hectare across the assessed farms. Compared with the pre-project baseline of approximately 20 tonnes per hectare, yields in some farms increased by 100-150%.
The initiative has also improved local farmers’ access to quality seed potatoes. The price of elite seed material has decreased from KGS 170-180 to KGS 100 per kilogram, helping farmers reduce input costs while accessing quality planting material.
At the time of the monitoring visit, eight of the nine farmers had completed harvesting and placed their seed potatoes in storage. Harvesting on the remaining one-hectare plot was scheduled for 8-9 October.
Approximately 540 tonnes of high-reproduction-category seed potatoes had been placed in a specialised storage facility in Kochkor. With an additional 150 tonnes planned for delivery, the total volume of seed potatoes in centralised storage is expected to reach approximately 690 tonnes.
The transportation of seed potatoes to Kochkor was necessary due to delays in completing the new storage facility in At-Bashy District. This situation highlights the importance of maintaining appropriate storage conditions, including temperature control and ventilation, to preserve seed quality and prevent frost damage during the winter period.
Located at approximately 2,300 metres above sea level, At-Bashy District offers favourable conditions for producing high-quality seed potatoes. The monitoring results demonstrated the strong yield potential of the introduced European varieties and their adaptation to local climatic conditions.
During the visit, a working meeting was also held with Mukhtar Sherbaev, Head of the At-Bashy District Administration. The discussion focused on expanding the district’s seed production area and exploring the possibility of leasing up to 50 hectares of land from the Agricultural Land Redistribution Fund to agricultural cooperatives.
The district administration expressed its readiness to support the initiative upon receiving formal requests from the cooperatives.
Following the monitoring visit, several priorities were identified, including completing the harvest, ensuring proper seed potato storage conditions, updating the database of value chain participants, and providing key agricultural cooperatives in the district with methodological guidelines for the internal inspection of seed potato fields.
The findings will help strengthen seed potato production, improve farmers’ access to quality planting material and create additional opportunities for agricultural development in Naryn Region.