According to her, agrarians from the Ak-Turpak district approached her, expressing their concerns about the low prices of rice coming into the country illegally. "Farmers claim that they are unable to compete with this rice and, as a result, are suffering losses. There is also an opinion that the imported rice may be of Chinese origin. What does the government plan to do to address this issue?" Amanova asked.
The Deputy Prime Minister responsible for agriculture, Bakyt Torobaev, expressed surprise upon learning about the rice smuggling. "This is the first time I am hearing about this. I will contact the border guards and strengthen control from the phytosanitary service. I want to mention that recently a minister from Uzbekistan approached me with a request for the supply of 32 thousand tons of our rice due to a shortage. I explained that we are unable to meet such demand," he added.
