Animal husbandary is a primary source of income for rural region families, especially in the high mountainous regions and remote areas of the country, due to the limited availability of employment due to the lack of industry, construction, services and other employment opportunities. Animal husbandry which is based on natural resource usage is an economic activity branch in Kyrgyzstan determining the production and consumption habits of the Kyrgyz population, enabling poverty reduction, supporting socio-economic development, which has a decreasing effect on internal and external migration movements. After the independence, the traditional livestock systems began to be reorganized in harmony with the market economy. In Kyrgyzstan, the livestock sector emerges as the most dynamic sector for sustainable economic development. The agricultural sector was the the first row sector in which 30,1% of the population working in 2012 was employed. In Kyrgyzstan, 14% of the total population is employed in the agricultural sector. The number of animals decreased very rapidly from 1991 (the declaration year of the independence), up to 2001. The most dramatic reduction in the number of cattle and sheep has been observed between 1989 and 1995. When the Soviet Union collapsed, 99% of all animals were purebred races. After its dispersion, purebred animal numbers decreased quickly and eighteen years after indepence declaration, in 2009, 33% of sheep and goat presence, 24% of cattle population and 14% of horses were purebred races. At the end of 2016, 388,500 tons of meat and 1,524,500 tons of milk were produced in the country. The increase in production is due to the increase in the number of animals. By the year 2014, per capita consumption of animal products is lower than the values of the pre-independence period.
Keywords: Kyrgyzstan, Livestock, Post-Independence
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