Budgetary allocations for the year 2024 have come under scrutiny as the Presidential Administration reported significant spending on overseas trips. The data indicates the Kyrgyz government allocated resources for 1,102 foreign missions out of 1,603 trips, during which officials incurred costs averaging 22,000 soms per day.
According to Azamat Osmonov, head of management decisions at the administration, this expenditure places substantial financial pressure on the national budget. He mentioned the monthly average of 140 trips, reflecting not only the financial burden but also the manpower used during these travels. From May to December 2024, following the introduction of approval procedures, 439 requests for overseas missions were submitted, with 128 being deemed unnecessary.
Interestingly, about 59% of these foreign trips were financed by the host nations. Osmonov emphasized the considerable time and labor demands on Kyrgyzstani officials, leading to delays within governmental operations. All told, 2,171 employees from various ministries accumulated about 92,400 person-hours overseas, far surpassing the annual allowable limit of 1,784 hours.
These expenditures coincide with agricultural reports from the Rostov region of Russia, where 2024's gross harvest of fruit and berry crops was estimated at around 16.6 thousand tons—down 6.2% from the previous year. The Ministry of Agriculture attributed this decline primarily to frost affecting crop production early this year, particularly among stone and seed varieties.
Reports show the total yield comprised 1.8 thousand tons of stone fruit and 14.8 thousand tons of seed fruit. The shortfall resulted from temperatures plummeting to -7 degrees Celsius during the first ten days of 2024, adversely affecting the crop formation across the entire Rostov region.
The ministry also indicated plans for agricultural enterprises to increase perennial plantings on no less than 100 hectares of land, representing nearly 40% less than the prior year's efforts. These actions appear aimed at recovering some of the yield losses suffered this year, hoping to stabilize future agricultural outputs.
Both the budget allocations for official trips and the agricultural forecasts point to challenges faced by Kyrgyzstan and Russia, respectively, with budgetary pressures and climate impacts at the forefront of economic discussions for 2024.