Kompanion has been organizing Apple Festivals in the regions of Kyrgyzstan since 2005. This year, the festival took place in Ak-Korgon village of Ala-Buka region (Djalal-Abad area) on September 22.
The event brought together local residents, entrepreneurs from all over Kyrgyzstan, as well as guests from Uzbekistan and France. More than 1,000 people visited the festival in total.
Local people appreciated that apart from economic benefit, Kompanion Bank brought them fun and pure joy: the show program was an engaging experience for both kids and adults. Along with colorful dance performances prepared by students of Yusupaliev secondary school, the visitors enjoyed an apple fair that showcased 12 apple varieties, as well as competitions and tasting of various fruit dishes.
Mr. Emilbek Abdykadyrov, Head of Administration of Ala-Buka region, noted that this year’s Apple Festival is critical for socioeconomic development of the region, because apple orchards now occupy 1,232 hectares of land in Ala-Buka region. Local farmers seem to be increasing the number of apple seedlings they plant.
The festival helped the farmers of Ala-Buka region make deals and establish mutually beneficial partnerships with Kyrgyz entrepreneurs for delivery of apple products for onward processing and sale.
During the festival, the farmers also received consultations on crop production and livestock breeding from Kompanion Bank’s specialists. Kompanion is the only bank in Kyrgyzstan that has an in-house Community Training and Support Department comprised of 30 accomplished agronomists and veterinarians. Since 2005, Kompanion Bank’s development team has been providing opportunities for rural communities in remote regions of the country to receive annual trainings in eco-orcharding and livestock management. By applying the knowledge and skills they have learned, households enhance the quality of their crops and increase livestock productivity, which eventually results in higher income for them. In 2017, Kompanion’s agronomists and veterinarians conducted 2,650 trainings in 128 villages across Kyrgyzstan.
Kompanion Bank’s story goes back to 2004 when it was first established as a microcredit institution. In 2016, Kompanion received a banking license. Today, Kompanion Bank is a sustainable institution with 14 years of experience that provides a full range of banking services. Kompanion Bank has gained confidence of 93,000 clients all over the country. To make our services more convenient for our clients, we have opened 116 offices across Kyrgyzstan. Kompanion Bank continues to improve its banking products and services for the benefit of clients with special attention being paid to community-focused activities, such as financial literacy trainings to people of Kyrgyzstan.
