Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — On 19 September 2024, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev was briefed on the implementation of reforms in the agricultural sector.

Uzbekistan is actively harnessing the potential of its agricultural sector, focusing on cotton cultivation, horticulture, greenhouse farming, and food processing. These areas are undergoing reforms aimed at increasing productivity and economic efficiency.

Cotton cultivation spans 136 districts, with cotton planted on over 1 million hectares. This year, in addition to traditional varieties, 42 promising and 18 foreign varieties have been planted. For the first time, varieties from China, India, and Turkey are being grown on nearly 100,000 hectares. An experiment involving soaked seeds has been conducted on 112,000 hectares, and inter-regional and inter-district variety rotation has taken place on 200,000 hectares.

Officials presented the results of innovations and plans for expansion next year. The President emphasized the need to create a competitive environment for importing seeds from abroad and improving cotton cultivation techniques.

Seed quality is crucial for agricultural yield. Many farmers, seeking to save costs, use low-quality seeds, which complicates the testing of new varieties and their registration, a process that can take around five years. To enhance efficiency, primary seed production will be carried out by private elite farms.

A new seed testing system will be implemented, wherein the state’s stake in 31 elite seed farms and six seed procurement facilities will be put up for public auction. Additionally, 46 seed enterprises will be consolidated, and 13 modern enterprises will be established in the regions. The introduction of new seeds is planned for two years.

Horticulture and viticulture are also significant areas of focus. The country has 266,000 hectares of orchards and 132,000 hectares of vineyards, but this does not align with the potential of its fertile lands. Many areas remain underutilized, especially slopes.

A new system for creating fruit orchards, including apple orchards and vineyards on these lands, will be introduced. The Agency for Agricultural Development will prepare project feasibility studies based on regional specialization and soil-climatic conditions. Subsidized loans will be offered for land preparation, seedling purchases, installation of planting and irrigation systems, and three years of care for the orchards until they bear fruit. Industrial orchards will be equipped with modern water-saving technologies.

The land allocation system for these projects will also be revised. Local authorities will propose creating orchards on low-yield lands, which will be leased based on an open electronic auction for up to 30 years.

The President emphasized the importance of expanding industrial-type orchards and vineyards, stating, "Our main goal is to develop agriculture based on scientifically grounded methods and best practices."

The presentation also addressed issues related to the effective use of greenhouse farms, ensuring their access to electricity, natural gas, and working capital.

An urgent task is water conservation. In regions, 732,000 hectares of cotton and grain fields are irrigated by internal pumping units, with 41% showing high energy consumption. To address this, a one-time subsidy for pump modernization for cotton and grain producers has been proposed. This will reduce electricity consumption and irrigation time by 60%, lowering production costs.

The President approved these proposals and provided additional directives for their improvement.