VZCZCXRO5295
PP RUEHAG RUEHBI RUEHCI RUEHDBU RUEHLH RUEHPW RUEHROV
DE RUEHAH #1068/01 2761210
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 031210Z OCT 07
FM AMEMBASSY ASHGABAT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9485
INFO RUCNCLS/ALL SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA COLLECTIVE
RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE
RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE
RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA 2834
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 0655
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 0531
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RHMFISS/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL
RUEHC/DEPT OF AGRICULTURE WASHDC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ASHGABAT 001068 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR SCA/CEN, SCA/PPD 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/03/2017 
TAGS: PGOV PREL ECON EAGR SOCISZX KPAO TX
SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN'S MARY PROVINCE:  FARMERS PRO PRIVATE 
FARMING; FLEX ALUMNI READY TO LEAVE 
 
Classified By: Charge Richard E. Hoagland for reasons 1.4 (B) and (D). 
 
¶1.  (SBU) SUMMARY:  Farmers in Mary expressed their 
disgruntlement with the government cotton-growing and 
state-controlled purchasing system, and argued that farming 
private land would make farmers more prosperous, during a 
recent post visit to the province.  Turkish factories appear 
to be providing much-needed employment for local citizens and 
made a great effort to showcase positive employee-employer 
relations.  Meetings with FLEX alumni revealed much optimism, 
but also a looming reality that most will go abroad again for 
higher education, raising the question of whether they will 
want to return to Turkmenistan.  EconOff also attended an 
introductory meeting with First Deputy Governor Khalap Sakhat 
(septel), and visited a cotton field where farmers harvested 
using John Deere combines (septel).  END SUMMARY. 
 
TURKISH-MANAGED FACTORIES SHOW THEIR STUFF 
 
¶2.  (SBU) Accompanied by a minder from the Ministry of 
Foreign Affairs and a senior official from the Mary province 
governor's office, EconOff visited two cotton factories on 
September 28.  The Hero of Turkmenistan Gurbansoltan Eje 
Factory, which the Turkish company, Engin Group, built in 
2005, produces cotton cloth.  This cloth is exported partly 
to Dubai but primarily to Turkey, where it is then dyed, 
printed, and made into clothing.  Factory management proudly 
highlighted the Belgian Beninger and Picanol weaving 
machines.  For quality control, they used Guven Chelik 
machinery from Turkey.  During the tour, managers sought to 
underscore the priority the factory puts into employee 
relations:  the factory runs a series of shuttle buses for 
employees, operates a cafeteria for them, provides them with 
uniforms, and has also installed a shower and changing room 
for for those ending their shift.  The Turkish co-director 
emphasized his good working relationship with the Turkmen 
director. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) The Beyik Saparmurat Turkmenbashy Factory, located 
in the "spa" town of Baymurat, produces terrycloth towels for 
export to countries such as Russia and Italy.  They had a 
contract at one point with the Swedish retail chain Ikea, but 
did not like working with them because of the need to double 
tag and specific display requirements.  This factory is fully 
integrated, with dying, cutting, and finishing capabilities. 
 
FARMERS STRAIN UNDER STATE CONTROL 
 
¶4.  (C) The head of the Ilkinjiler Farmer's Association, who 
hosted a group of six farmers, offered a different view of 
life for cotton farmers here than the governor had earlier 
that day.  Jirin, the association head and an IVLP alumna, 
said that she greatly benefited from the month that she spent 
in the U.S., and hoped that others would also have such an 
opportunity.  The conversation, however, grew more serious as 
the group expressed its irritation with "government lies" 
about the lack of access to international cotton markets for 
Turkmen cotton.  They also claimed that the state wants to 
convince them that it pays farmers via Turkmenpakhta, the 
state cotton concern, faster than private commodity buyers 
could.  They said that even private farmers are forced to 
sell cotton to Turkmenpakhta.  Regardless, the farmers would 
very much like to operate as private farmers, which is not 
possible at present because all land belongs to the state. 
(NOTE:  Currently, the closest thing to private farming is 
through dayhans "peasant farms", which are public-private 
ventures.  END NOTE.)  They said dayhan farmers yield cotton 
harvest totals of 3,000-3,500 kilograms per hectare, about 30 
percent more than government farmers yield at 1,000-1,500 
kilograms per hectare.  The farmers unexpectedly asked the 
officer if they could speak freely, then explained that they 
were often visited by Committee of National Security 
(KNB)officers after meetings with Embassy staff.  They were 
 
ASHGABAT 00001068  002 OF 002 
 
 
grateful they could meet alone with EmbOff. 
 
FLEX STUDENTS AT THE AMERICAN CORNER:  EXCITED ABOUT THE 
FUTURE, BUT MOSTLY LEAVING 
 
¶5.  (SBU) A group of six bright FLEX alumni eagerly discussed 
their experiences as exchange students with American 
families.  Many of these alumni graduated from Turkmen 
schools after the ninth grade, and -- especially if they had 
U.S. high school diplomas -- were not enthusiastic about the 
option of returning for the newly re-established tenth grade. 
 Because there are no job opportunities in Mary, they spend 
their time volunteering at the American Corner.  One ethnic 
Armenian girl plans on attending university in Armenia next 
year, after attending prep classes there.  Since she only has 
nine grades of schooling, her options are limited.  Two 
alumnae plan to apply to American University of Central Asia 
in Bishkek, and are now preparing for the Test of English as 
a Foreign Language.  Others hope to attend U.S. universities, 
or the American University in Bulgaria.  One young woman who 
is still in school said that her school and others in Mary 
will be receiving Internet access in the next month or so. 
American Corner Advisor Albina Burashnikova got the alumni 
excited when she mentioned President Berdimuhamedov's recent 
promise to facilitate the establishment of a U.S. university 
branch in Turkmenistan.  They are hopeful about 
Turkmenistan's future, and felt positive about President 
Berdimuhamedov's reforms.  They were pleased that someone 
from the U.S. Embassy wanted to hear their views. 
 
¶6.  (SBU) Mary's city center is undergoing significant 
construction, seemingly to mirror the Ashgabat style of 
domed, vaguely-Islamic looking buildings.  The names of the 
construction companies appeared also to be different than 
those currently working all over Ashgabat.  This may indicate 
that authorities are directing attention to the provinces, 
which would be a welcomed step.  There are no indications 
that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs plans to stop 
accompanying embassy officers on their visits to the 
provinces, which unfortunately result in very well-staged 
events at sites that are visited.  The driver, three of the 
six farmers at the lunch, and reportedly half of the factory 
employees were fasting during Ramadan, which may indicate a 
rise in religious observance, or possibly the more 
conservative nature of provincial, versus urban, residents. 
 
¶7.  (SBU)  COMMENT:  This trip was a good opportunity to get 
an initial readout on farmer-government relations, as well as 
local industry and development progress in the provincial 
capital, but the presence of a Ministry of Foreign Affairs 
representative at meetings with both local government 
officials and factory representatives made it challenging to 
get an accurate and honest perspective from interlocutors, 
who seemed otherwise positively disposed to talking with an 
American official.  It was likewise unfortunate to learn that 
FLEX alumni may not be an enduring influence in this 
developing province, where they have the potential to seed 
the workforce someday with skilled and educated candidates 
for management.  END COMMENT. 
HOAGLAND