Bishkek (TDI): Kyrgyzstan and British company Concrete Canvas have signed a deal to build a plant in Kyrgyzstan that will produce flexible concrete canvas.
Concrete Canvas manufactures waterproof, flexible, concrete-filled geosynthetic composite mats, primarily used to line irrigation canals to prevent erosion and reduce seepage losses.
The planned production capacity of the new plant is at least five million square meters of concrete canvas per year.
At the signing ceremony in Bishkek, Chairman of the Kyrgyz Cabinet of Ministers, Adylbek Kasymaliyev, underlined the project as an example of an effective public-private partnership.
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He noted that 5 tons of this innovative material could replace one hundred tons of cement in canal lining, considerably improving installation efficiency while delivering the same expected results.
The deal follows talks in April 2024, when representatives of Concrete Canvas visited Kyrgyzstan to discuss the project.
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The negotiations were held among Kyrgyz Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers and Minister of Water Resources, Agriculture, and Processing Industry, Bakyt Torobayev, and the then British Foreign Secretary, David Cameron.
Torobayev highlighted the importance of the material, stating, “Across Kyrgyzstan, the length of canals is 30,000 kilometers, including 11,000 kilometers of unsurfaced canals.
By laying concrete material on these canals, we will prevent seepage of water and ensure its efficient use., he said,
Torobayev added that Kyrgyzstan is an agricultural country with a lot of arable land, so we really need such materials.”
He also confirmed that the British company’s plant will be constructed in the Osh region, in southern Kyrgyzstan.
