Client: Cotonea Organic Cotton
The fall of the Soviet Union ended the planned economy in Kyrgyzstan in 1989. During this time, the kolkhozes became smallholder farms. To make a living, the people had to reorganise and find a new orientation. Since 2010, Kyrgyzstan has been a not very stable parliamentary republic, corruption is widespread. 37% of the people live below the poverty line. Jalalabad lies in the south-west of the country, near the border to Uzbekistan. The climate is extreme: here you have icy winters and very hot summers. The vegetation period is very short – also for cotton.
The journey from Germany takes two days. Driving by car from the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek to Jalalabad is long: 600 kilometres on the curvy M41, nine hours’ drive through the deserted steppe. On mountain passes you travel at a height of 3,500 metres through the 5000 metres high Kyrgyz mountains. But this journey is worth it, as this way a personal, trusting relationship is built with the local organic farmers, and we get a clear impression of the possibilities, the quality and the purity of our organic cotton.
(Source: https://about.cotonea.de/en/bio-baumwolle/projekt-kirgistan/ )
