Authorities have clarified the operating conditions of Osh market after its relocation. Trading spaces will be leased directly to entrepreneurs by the state and cannot be sold. Kanybek Tumanbaev, Head of the Presidential Affairs Department, announced at a meeting with vendors.
According to him, the market is state-owned, and therefore, intermediaries and subleasing are unacceptable. All rental payments must be made directly to the budget.
Trading spaces at the new market will be provided free of charge; entrepreneurs will only pay the established rent.
To streamline trade, a commission is planned to be established to conduct a registration of vendors and allocate spaces based on the range of goods sold. Priority will be given to those who have been working at the Osh market for a long time, regularly pay taxes, and hold a license.
Tumanbaev also called on entrepreneurs to put their documents in order and not spread rumors about the alleged sale of trading spaces.
Regarding the future of the existing market, he stated that its demolition will proceed in stages, with the land being cleared beginning in the direction of Batken market.
«After the relocation, a park will be built on the site of the old Osh market, and a hospital will be built on the site of Kiyal market,» the official said.
Furthermore, to ensure transportation accessibility, he stated that 180 buses have already been purchased, which will run to the new Osh market.
The opening of the new Osh market is scheduled for August 1 of this year.
As a reminder, Bishkek authorities have been announcing plans to relocate the Osh market since 2023. The new market is being built in the north of the capital, outside the city center. The project envisions a large shopping complex with indoor pavilions, storage facilities, utilities, and parking.
At the end of January 2026, it was announced that sales of retail space at the new site would begin. However, entrepreneurs have repeatedly raised concerns that the relocation would entail the closure of the old market until the new facility is fully completed, and that retail space would be provided on a paid basis rather than free of charge.
