Uzbekistan’s agriculture: Progress and achievements

Uzbekistan’s agriculture: Progress and achievements

One of the priority directions of agriculture development - an important sector of the economy of Uzbekistan is the saturation of the domestic food market, the achievement of self-sufficiency in production and food security fields. Effective implementation of these tasks will allow solving such pressing social issues as the employment of the population, their well-being, urban and rural development.
Uzbekistan’s agricultural policy has undergone significant changes during the years of independence. The state’s agricultural enterprises and collective sectors were abolished, farmers were established, and who have implemented advanced technology in the absence of command management. It allowed diversifying the agricultural sector, developing animal husbandry, poultry farming, fish farming, horticulture, gardening and beekeeping.
More than 67,800 farms currently operate in the country. Their activities are regulated by the Law of the Republic of Uzbekistan “On the farm” and the Presidential Decree “On measures of further improving the organization of activities and development of farming in Uzbekistan”.
Last year, our country has developed more than 17 500 farms and created over 250 thousand new jobs. The largest number of farms are established in Tashkent, Jizzakh, Namangan, Samarkand, Kashkadarya, Ferghana, Andijan regions and Karakalpakstan.
Real help for the farmers was the introduction of the system of preferential crediting of agricultural projects and expanding service networks in rural areas through the supply of fuel and lubricants, biological and chemical fertilizers, plant protection products, seeds and others.
Stable growth of the agricultural sector is marked in the country since the late 90s, constituting an annual 6-7%. The volume of agricultural products has been increased by more than twice during 24 years. This, in turn, allowed saturating the market and increasing several times the consumption of basic foodstuffs. For example, 12,592million tons of vegetables were grown last year, including potatoes, 1,85 million tons of melons, 1,556 million tons of grapes, 2,731 million tons of fruit.
The average yield of wheat reached 55 quintals per hectare in the country, it was 60-77 quintals per hectare in some areas, which is a great success of our farmers. Cotton growers of the country made invaluable contribution to the replenishment of our country’s treasury, harvested more than 3 million 350 thousand tons of raw sugar. Total volume of agricultural production had increased by almost 7% in 2015.
High yields was provided mainly by the intensification of agricultural production, improve the selection and implementation of recognized varieties of cotton and cereal crops, the development of modern agricultural technologies.
Along with this, high quality structural changes in agriculture are expected in the next four years. In particular, gradual reduction of the volume of production and procurement of raw cotton fr om 3 million 350 thousand tons to 3 million tons is planned. It will free up about 170,500 hectares of irrigated land wh ere cotton yield does not exceed 12-15 quintals per hectare, while yields in the country an average is of 26,1 quintals per hectare. As a result, redundant cotton fields will be sowing and planting of fruit and vegetables.
The final meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan noted that it is planned to bring the production volumes of cereal crops up to 8,5 million tons with an increase of 16,4 percent by 2020, increase potato production by 35 percent, other vegetables by 30 percent, and fruits grapes by 21,5 percent, meat by 26,2 percent, milk by 47,3 percent, eggs by 74.5 percent, fish at 2,5 times. At the same time the volume of exports of these types of food will significantly increase.
Increasing productivity of agricultural crops highlights the further industrialization of agriculture and processing of this raw material base, establishment of appropriate infrastructure to ensure the preservation of quality of the harvest. Due to the selfless work of all the workers in the village 230 enterprises were built and refurbished in the industrial processing of agricultural products, commissioned 114 new cold stores with a capacity of 77,800 tons in 2015. Thus, the total capacity of storage of fruits and vegetables increased up to 832 thousand tons. It helps to ensure the population on a regular basis in agricultural products, increase their exports and maintain price stability.
However, special attention is paid to rural workers’ welfare, creation of favorable living conditions that meet the modern requirements, improve the quality of housing and communal services.
As a result of the implementation of the State Program for the construction of rural individual housing on standard projects for 2009 - 2013 years, 1248 new complex of built-up residential areas were created in 159 rural areas, which built more than 33,5 thousand modern and comfortable individual houses on an area of more than 4,6 million sq meters. 1677 km of water supply networks are put into operation, 1,039 km of electric grids, 1346 km of gas supply networks and 981 km of roads, as well as more than a thousand objects of social and market infrastructure.
In the current year, 13 thousand individual houses in the 305 arrays will be built in the republic. 300,5 km of water networks, 296,3 km of electric networks, 307,5 km of gas networks, 264,8 km of access roads will be built during the process of construction of the new array. 175 objects of social and market infrastructure will be built here, including 35 guzars, 25 shopping malls, 34 markets, 36 bakeries, 39 complexes of consumer services, and 6 mini-banks.
Implementation of these and other projects in the village, of course, will enhance the welfare of the population, and the result will be further development of agriculture and growth of productivity in the area.
Jahon Information Agency