Record Harvest Lifts ISEZ Farm Output to IS 6.1 Billion in Nine Months

The Ministry of Economy has published its preliminary estimate of agricultural output in the Irad Special Economic Zone for the first nine months of 2026. Between January and September the ISEZ produced farm goods worth IS 6.1 billion, or about $726 million at the official rate of 8.40 som to the dollar.

Output volume rose by about 12% on the same period of 2025, carried by the grain and potato harvests of Chu District and Talas District. The value of output rose by about 6%, as bazaar prices for potatoes eased with the abundance of the crop. Crops account for roughly two-thirds of the total, with livestock and dairy making up the remainder.

The farm result is one of the pillars of the 9.4% economic growth for the first nine months that the Bank of Irad reported on 20 to 22 October.

Bekbolot Sherov, press secretary of the Ministry of Economy, said the result reflected "more grain and more potatoes from the same land." The ministry credits the Irrigation Modernization Programme, which since 2018 has paid for canal lining, laser levelling and drip systems across the valleys. The farm belt has also been among the priorities of the Lieutenant Governor's office this autumn.

The abundant harvest is reflected in full barns, in livestock feed and in the stocks that households and farms are laying in for winter, with brisk buying of potatoes and apples reported at the Bazar-i Kalan.

The ministry notes that the figures are preliminary. Final numbers will be published with the annual review, after the business census, which counts bazaar stalls and farms for the first time, closes on 30 November.