Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- Tomatoes and their products have become an integral part of the daily diet of Uzbeks. If earlier tomatoes were supplied only in the summer season, now, thanks to the development of greenhouses, they can be enjoyed all year round. Why, because in our country there are more and more greenhouse complexes, where everyone’s favorite vegetable is grown all year round.

Begzod Salimov, head of the project office of the agricultural services agency, said:

- We have more than 6 thousand hectares of greenhouses in the republic, of which 3.5 thousand hectares are heated by gas, 1.5 thousand hectares by coal, and the rest thousand hectares by other types of alternative fuel.

The entire complex of greenhouse facilities was developed mainly in 2017-2020. If in 2017 the total area of greenhouses of 1,139 farms was 1,938 hectares, then by 2020 these figures have grown exponentially. Already 2,667 farms were growing various types of agricultural products in greenhouse conditions on 4,950 hectares. Accordingly, this was reflected in the volumes. If in 2017 91.2 thousand tons were harvested, in 2022 the harvest exceeded 300 thousand tons. And this is almost 3.5 times more. For this year, the forecast corresponds to the dynamics of growth. In 2023, it is planned to receive 350 thousand tons of products directly from greenhouses.

In 2022, 194 thousand tons of tomatoes were grown in the greenhouses of the republic.

And from the beginning of this year, until March, 27 thousand tons of agricultural products in assortment were produced in greenhouses.

In accordance with the task to set the repayment period for loans allocated to greenhouse farms and cold stores (in national and foreign currencies), the republican working group on the improvement and development of the financial situation of greenhouse farms held 4 meetings and approved 2 protocols.

Loans are allocated at the expense of international financial institutions, trust funds and the Fund for Reconstruction and Development for a period of up to 14 years and the extension of the grace period from 3 to 5 years.

Based on the proposals submitted to extend the terms of lending to 3,575 greenhouses and refrigerated warehouses for 11.3 trillion soums, the relevant protocol was approved and sent for execution.

The farm "Bakhtiyor Mirishkor Fayz" in Tashkent region is one of the most advanced in terms of growing tomatoes. It has been successfully operating on 6,000 hectares for seven years. The entire production line for growing tomatoes is based on advanced Korean technology.

Here seedlings are planted in December-January. This year, 150 thousand seedlings of the plant were planted. And tomatoes ripen in spring, around the second half of March. In turn, in May comes the peak of their maturation. Tomatoes grown in the local greenhouse are of high quality and taste special. The advantage of the greenhouse is that the tomatoes grown here are supplied not only to the domestic market, but also for export.

The growing process itself does not take much time. You just need to pay due attention to the entire cycle - from planting to harvesting, while applying mineral and organic fertilizers in a timely manner. The main thing is that during the period of tomato growth in the greenhouse round-the-clock monitoring is established.

These days, one of the topics discussed on social networks has become the pricing of tomatoes. Everyone wonders about the reasons for such a sharp increase in prices. Consumer complaints are understandable. To clarify the situation, we turned to the head of the project office of the Agricultural Services Agency, Begzod Salimov:

- In winter, under the influence of severe frosts observed in January, the ripening and sale of tomatoes grown in greenhouses is somewhat delayed.

If usually, during the season, this product ripens in greenhouses in 90 days, then this year this period stretched for 120 days. This led to the fact that the supply of tomatoes in the markets decreased, while the demand remained at the same level. As a result, prices have crept up. Already today, a good crop is ripening in greenhouses. By mid-April and early May, greenhouse tomatoes will fill the market, and this will immediately lead to price stabilization.