Кыргызстан: Джапаров распорядился провести работы по отмене НДС на экспорт картофеля после того, как фермеры сообщили о двойном налогообложении.

Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov has told the government to work out the removal of value-added tax on potato exports, after a Talas farmer said growers shipping to Uzbekistan are being taxed twice. The instruction came on 3 November at a meeting with residents of the Aitmatov and Manas districts. No final decision has been reported, and no VAT rate, deadline or budget estimate has been published.

What the farmer asked for

The request came from a farmer named Melis, who speaks for potato and bean producers in Talas region, according to 24.kg. He said that in 2022 potatoes and beans moved to Uzbekistan without VAT, and Kaktus.media quotes him as crediting an agreement between Japarov and Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. Time.kg reports that the shipments went through seven border crossings.

Melis said the tax returned this year. In the account published by Kaktus.media, VAT now applies on both the Kyrgyz export side and the Uzbek import side, so farmers pay twice.

What officials and the president said

Officials replied that the earlier relief had not been meant to last. Deputy Minister of Water Resources, Agriculture and Processing Industry Asylbek Satyvaldiev called it a one-off decision, Kaktus.media reports. The Ministry of Economy said it applied only for a set period, according to the state agency Kabar, as carried by NAQ Media.

Japarov questioned how much the tax brings in and asked whether there are enough potatoes to export. Told that there are, he said, in Kabar’s wording: “Remove VAT from potatoes. Cancel it for farmers, for vegetables and fruit.” Reports differ in emphasis. Kaktus.media describes an instruction to the Ministry of Economy and Commerce to cancel the tax, while Kabar describes an instruction to analyse the option, and 24.kg says the government should study the question and take it to the cabinet. The wider wording also leaves open whether any change would stop at potatoes and beans or reach other farm exports.

Why the export channel matters this season

Kyrgyzstan has more potatoes than it can eat. The agriculture ministry expects a 2026 harvest of around 1,249,700 tonnes against annual consumption of about 779,700 tonnes, which it puts at 181.9% self-sufficiency, we reported in October. The Cabinet of Ministers has restricted imports until 1 March 2027. At that time Open.kg reported farmers selling at 16–18 soms per kilogram and operating at a loss.

Uzbekistan is the obvious outlet, but Kyrgyzstan is a small supplier there. Uzbekistan imported 421,900 tonnes of potatoes in January–June 2026, of which Kazakhstan supplied 337,900 tonnes and Kyrgyzstan 14,800 tonnes, EastFruit reported, citing Uzbek statistics. Тазабек reported on 29 September that more than 5,000 tonnes had gone to Uzbekistan that month, a volume a deputy called “a drop in the ocean”.

What this means for growers and the market

• Kyrgyz growers: the announcement is not yet a tax change. Exporters should keep planning at current tax terms until a government decision is published, including how it treats shipments already under contract.
• The Uzbek side: a Kyrgyz decision would cover only the Kyrgyz part of the tax. The farmer’s complaint also concerns VAT on the Uzbek import side, and no change there has been reported.
• Regional traders: lower export costs could matter most while Kyrgyz supply is heavy and imports are restricted, but Kazakhstan remains the dominant supplier to Uzbekistan by a wide margin.

источники: 24.kg; Kaktus.media; NAQ Media / Kabar; Time.kg; EastFruit; Тазабек.