AKIPRESS.COM - U.S. Ambassador to the Kyrgyz Republic Leslie Viguerie participated in the official inauguration ceremony of the Baika Textile factory in Kara-Suu district of Osh oblast, the U.S. Embassy said.

Baika Textile’s new facility was equipped with modern sewing equipment provided by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

The new equipment, worth nearly $100,000, includes sewing and cutting machines, as well as high-tech equipment for making T-shirts and other products. Baika Textile invested more than $330,000 in construction of a new building and purchased complementary equipment.

“Thanks to modern equipment that we procured with USAID support we improved the quality of our products. Our production increased by 15%,” says director of Baika Textile factory Kanybek uulu Bayimbet.

Baika Textile first started its operations in Bishkek but the founders eventually decided to move the facility to Osh oblast to create more jobs in southern Kyrgyzstan. After completing construction of their own facility and expanding production, the number of employees grew from 80 to 400.

“In the last four years, the United States, through USAID, has provided grant support to over 120 businesses like Baika Textile. This has generated thousands of new jobs across the Kyrgyz Republic, especially for women,” noted Ambassador Viguerie.

The equipment is provided under USAID’s Enterprise Competitiveness Project, a $23 million investment in the Kyrgyz Republic implemented over five years. The project works with small and medium businesses in textile, food production, agriculture, IT, finance, and others to help expand their production and sales, leading to job creation in the Kyrgyz Republic. The program has already provided support to more than 120 enterprises across the Kyrgyz Republic since 2018.