22.07.2019  13:19

Karamat Toktoralieva lives in the village of Sai-Maale, Bazar-Korgon rural district of Bazar-Korgon district. Her fellow villagers knew her as a big farmer. Because, she cultivated all kinds of vegetables on 2 hectares, on the land allocated to her by the state, for personal consumption, and for sale in the bazaar (local market), received a good profit and also treated her fellow villagers. But, she decided to change the type of business.

She joined SHG organized by the WPU Erayim’s project as a first member, and participated in the training courses ‘Family Budget’ and ‘Secrets of Business’. These training courses had a positive effect on her, she immediately began to lead the Self-Help Group ‘Meerim’, motivate unemployed women to be active and participate in the public life of the village, to start their own business. Now, these women run their own farms, grow vegetables, solve their own needs first of all, and also make a profit. They have their own foundation. The funds collected at the foundation have been circling among themselves in doing their businesses. In addition, they are very actively involved in the public life of the village, cooperating with the local authorities they are solving the problems of the village. Currently, she and her group are members of the ‘Ak Tilek’ SHG Association. Received a loan in the amount of 500 thousand soms from ‘Finka credit bank she prepared a place for tandoor (an eastern baking oven) production right in the yard of her house. Designed this place like a greenhouse, prepared the ground, brought earth, fenced. Then she bought special earth for the tandoor. Such earth is called ‘White Earth’. It is difficult to find such earth in the hills of Bazar-Korgon district, here the land is mineral, that is, saline. For the white earth, one needs to go to Jalal-Abad or the Sovet-Abad. Such earth is for sale there. 12 small baking tandoors can be made from one truck of such earth. And each tandoor can be sold for 1000 to 1200 soms. It is also possible to make 4 large tandoors for samsa (tandoor patties) from a one truck earth, and these types of tandoors can be sold from 3,000 to 8,000 soms. She received advice in this matter from professional and experienced craftsmen. They also came to help her. Mostly in our land, many are busy with this business. Everyone has their own method of preparing tandoor. She met with the work of the Suzak masters. She hired people who knew the business and started her own tandoor business. Fortunately, the workers she hired turned out to be very hardworking and conscientious people. Therefore, already during the year, her tandoors became famous in the district. Clients themselves began to come for her tandoors to her home. According to Karamat Toktoralieva, she has clients not only from her Bazar-Korgon district but from the neighboring Nooken district and from distant Aksy, Ala-Buka districts, from the city of Tash-Komur and even from the capital city of Bishkek. Now they have regular customers. Therefore, loans taken with risk a year ago are already given back. Based on this, I tell everyone that they must not be afraid to start their small business, they need to make concrete plans and try with the mind to achieve the goal, and everything will be fine,’ says our business lady with confidence.

- I started this business with the intention to pass it on to my children. I want them to master the skill of tandoor production. I have two sons. They help me in my business. They have been learning to prepare tandoors from masters. “I hope they will continue my business in the future,” added Karamat Toktoralieva.

Baktykan Azhymamatova, Jalal-Abad Oblast