Фермеры «Жаргылчак Агро» провели первое заседание созданного кооператива

Farmers of "Zhargylchak Agro" Held the First Meeting of the Newly Established Cooperative

Members of the "Zhargylchak Agro" non-profit agricultural cooperative held their first working meeting. The association was established with the assistance of the CAMP Alatoo PF. Its members are smallholder farmers from the villages of Kichi-Zhargylchak and Chon-Zhargylchak in the Jeti-Oguz district of the Issyk-Kul region. The cooperative aims to preserve harvested crops and organize direct wholesale supplies to major buyers.

The new association is supported by the CAMP Alatoo PF with financial assistance from the Swiss PVSYST Foundation under the project "Development of Sustainable Agribusiness through Solar-Powered Cold Storage Infrastructure Managed by a Farmer Cooperative in the Issyk-Kul Region (Phase 1)".

Representatives of the CAMP Alatoo PF and a legal advisor attended the first meeting as consultants. The meeting's agenda included issues of organizational and legal procedures, financial security, and future development prospects.

During the meeting, the participants reviewed the draft Charter and other internal regulations of the cooperative. They examined membership rules, the procedure and number of contributions, the rights and obligations of participants, as well as the management structure and mechanisms for joint decision-making. Following the discussion, the cooperative members unanimously approved the package of internal documents required for the official launch and transparent operation of the association.

An important part of the meeting was the presentation of market research results conducted by the project partners—specialists from the "AgroLead" Public Association. The farmers were provided with up-to-date information on the current situation in fruit production, storage, and marketing in the region. The experts highlighted in detail such aspects as: (1) market potential and demand for cold storage services; (2) seasonal price fluctuations for fruits and vegetables; (3) an overview of key sales markets.

They also provided recommendations on increasing farmers' income generated from joint activities under the umbrella of the cooperative. During this discussion, the farmers made a collective decision to pool a large batch of Issyk-Kul apricots in the upcoming season—up to 20–22 tons—to respond directly to the demands of wholesale buyers.

At the conclusion of the meeting, the participants focused on the mechanisms for the long-term development of the cooperative. The sources and procedures for establishing sustainable financing, including initial membership fees, were determined. The members of the association approved a step-by-step action plan for the near future, aimed at the technical launch of the cooperative and the implementation of the infrastructure project to construct a cold storage facility utilizing a solar power station to reduce the load on the public grid and minimize environmental pollution.