Life in rural Kyrgyzstan: Jeti-Oguz villagers reprocess apricots

AKIPRESS.COM - Villagers of Jeti-Oguz district of Issyk-Kul region reprocess apricots which they were unable to sell out throughout the season.
Locals told Turmush that the volume of apricots suitable for sale is decreasing annually because of hail, frost and diseases.
Apricots damaged by hails lose their ready-for-sale condition. Buyers prefer good looking apricots. The locals used to make dried fruits out of apricots that did not sell. But today, villagers have no special equipment for that.
To address this problem, locals make juices and compotes out of remaining apricots. "First we collect the apricots, clean them up and crush them. Then we separate the pulp from the juice and boil them. 2.5 kg of sugar should be added to 5 liters of juice. The juice should be poured into cans. We sell finished products at 100-120 soms (3 liters)," locals said.
The village has no enterprise for processing of apricots, which grow here in big quantities.