8 June 2023, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan – Wheat is an important strategic crop in Kyrgyzstan and the main source of nutrition – accounting for more than half of the country’s total cultivated area. A key factor in obtaining a good wheat harvest is protection from harmful diseases. In recent years, rust diseases (yellow, leaf and stem rust) have begun to pose a major risk to wheat production. While not necessarily a threat in dry seasons, they can cause significant damage to wheat crops in years with good rainfall and suitable temperature conditions. Since these diseases are airborne and can spread easily over borders, monitoring and training of farmers is critical for prevention and management. 

Due to complexities inherent in the epidemiology of these diseases, there is a need for a comprehensive national strategy and contingency plan. To address this, FAO organized a workshop in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and the Public Association Agrolead to discuss a draft national strategy and contingency plan for the prevention and management of wheat rust diseases in the Kyrgyz Republic. Entitled “Validation of the national strategy and contingency plan for management of wheat rust diseases in Kyrgyzstan”, the workshop was organized on 2 June 2023 as part of the project “Strengthening regional collaboration and national capacities for management of wheat rust diseases (CACRust)” under the FAO-Turkey Partnership Programme.

The workshop was opened by Dyikanbai Kenzhebaev, Director of the Department of Chemicalization and Plant Quarantine of the Ministry of Agriculture, who indicated his appreciation and support for the project and its efforts to address this serious challenge. Kuvatbek Bapaev, Senior Policy Adviser of the FAO Bishkek office, provided a summary of FAO-Kyrgyzstan collaboration and welcomed the participants to the workshop on behalf of FAO. Yunus Bayram, the Deputy Director-General of the Food and Control General Directorate of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Türkiye, expressed the willingness of his Ministry to support the work of Kyrgyz institutions in multiple areas, including wheat rust diseases. The workshop participants included experts and representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture of Türkiye, the Kyrgyz Agricultural Research Institute, universities and farmers. 

Fazil Dusunceli, Agriculture Officer of the FAO Subregional Office for Central Asia and lead technical officer of the project, gave a presentation detailing progress made so far by the project. He stressed that wheat rust diseases are unrelenting and that proper management requires constant monitoring, timely information exchange, regional collaboration and strong national capacities. 

Suat Kaymak, head of the Plant Health Research department of the General Directorate of Agricultural Research of Türkiye, presented the department’s research work on national plant health, particularly wheat health. Scientists from Kyrgyz research institutions also gave presentations on related topics: Asel Kalbaeva spoke about CACRust project activities, Anara Chakaeva gave information about the current status of rusts in Kyrgyzstan, and Oleg Pakhhomeev discussed wheat breeding and the resistance of different wheat varieties. 

Following presentation of the draft national strategy and contingency plan by Gulnaz Kaseeva of Agrolead, the workshop broke into groups to discuss and provide feedback on the document. The workshop concluded with a summary of the event and concluding remarks by Omurbek Mambetov, lead agronomist at the FAO Bishkek office.

The workshop was preceded by field visits and practical training to strengthen national capacities in wheat rust disease management. The training was organized in collaboration with the public association Agrolead on 1 June 2023 for the technical personnel of public institutions and farmers. Experts of the Kyrgyz Agricultural Research Institute, the National Academy of Sciences and Kyrgyz-Turkish Manas University assembled at the demonstration site of the Kyrgyz Agricultural Research Institute, and provided information on the performance of five wheat varieties under rainfed conditions. 

During the event, technical officers and farmers participated in practical demonstrations on the biology of the fungi responsible for the diseases, and learned how to effect a diagnosis and implement disease management practices. At the end of the training session, a briefing explained the importance of regular surveys, preparedness, contingency planning and the use of rust resistant varieties to prevent the spread of the disease. 

About the FAO-Türkiye Partnership Programmes

The objectives of the FAO-Türkiye Partnership Programmes are to provide support to ensure food security, rural poverty reduction and sustainable forest management; combat desertification; and preserve ecosystems in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Türkiye, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, and other countries of mutual interest. 

Established in 2007, the first phase of the FAO-Türkiye Partnership Programme on Food and Agriculture (FTPP) has benefited from trust fund contributions totalling USD 10 million, financed by the Government of Türkiye and represented by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. During the first phase of the programme, 28 projects were implemented in 16 countries between 2009 and 2015.

In 2014, Türkiye and FAO commenced the second phase of the FTPP along with the first phase of the FAO-Türkiye Forestry Partnership Programme (FTFP) with additional funding of USD 20 million, bringing Türkiye’s total contribution to USD 30 million.

LINKS:

Introductory flyer of the CAC-Rust Project

International experts meet in Türkiye to combat the threat of wheat rust diseases

CAC-Rust conference organized in Baku to combat the rapid spread of rust diseases in wheat

ICARDA

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