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Reforms gain urgency as pressure rises on Kyrgyz RMG sector

Kyrgyzstan’s garment industry, long viewed as one of the country’s most dynamic and employment-intensive sectors, is facing a moment of reckoning. At a recent meeting of the Ala-Too parliamentary group attended by lawmakers, business representatives and government agencies, industry players reportedly laid bare a series of challenges that threaten to reverse years of hard-won growth.

Restricted access to the Russian market, mounting difficulties in working with major online marketplaces, and the absence of domestic laboratory and certification facilities—critical for meeting European standards—were reportedly cited as the most pressing concerns, as per media reports. And the impact has been severe, it seems, with more than *,*** garment workshops reportedly forced to shut down already, leaving thousands of workers jobless.