11.12.2021

Dear compatriots!

Dear dekhqans and farmers, agricultural workers!

 

I wholeheartedly congratulate you and all our people on the Day of Agricultural Workers.

These days, when the harvest festival is widely celebrated on our generous and fertile land, I express my sincere gratitude to the masters of their craft, skilled dekhqans (peasants) and farmers, gardeners, livestock and silkworm breeders, watermen and irrigators, agronomists and machine operators, managers and workers of agro clusters, dekhqan farms, scientists and specialists for their selfless work in the name of the prosperity of New Uzbekistan and the growth of the well-being of the people.

 

Dear friends!

 

The fundamental reforms in agriculture carried out in recent years, designed for a long term, are becoming an important factor in achieving significant results in the field.

Continuing consistent work in this direction, we attach major importance to creating a favorable environment for agribusiness in the country, increasing its investment attractiveness, and industrializing the sector.

It should be especially noted that in order to develop the sphere, our enterprising dekhqans and farmers widely use the latest achievements of science, rely on their long experience and rich knowledge.

As it is known, the profession of a farmer is one of the most honorable and at the same time the most difficult in the world. All of us are witnessing a number of difficulties in agriculture this year as well.

The negative impact of the ongoing worldwide pandemic, as well as the lack of rain in spring, excessively hot summers, and even more tangible shortage of water resources than in previous years - all these became another test of will and resilience of our farmers.

However, despite the existing problems, the hard-working dekhqans managed to get a rich harvest in all branches, achieve higher milestones compared to previous years, and this, indeed, deserves a special attention.

This year, more than 20 million tons of fruits and vegetables were harvested and about 7.4 million tons of grain, more than 3.4 million tons of raw cotton, 23 thousand tons of silkworm cocoons, 2.6 million tons of meat, more than 11 million tons of dairy products, 8.3 billion eggs, 400 thousand tons of fish were obtained and this implies worthy result of hard and painstaking work throughout the year.

In this regard, it gives me a great pleasure to note the farms that have harvested 95-100 centners of grain per hectare and they are «Sotvoldiev Hoshimzhon» of the Markhamat District, «Islomjon Shukurullo» of the Buvayda District, «Nazhmiddin Fahriddin Fayz» of the Akhangaran District, «Farhod» of the Dustlik District, «Kuhna Bukhoro» of the Ramitan District, «Mul hosil sifat» of the Karshi District, «Mohinur faizli gavhari» of the Rishtan District, «Padang» of the Kumkurgan District, «Sakhtiyon Azamati» of the Elliqqala District and «Shohid Burguti» of the Turakurgan District.

By virtue of the reform of another important agrarian sector – the cotton growing, this season it was possible to collect 422 tousand tons of raw cotton more than in the past. It is noteworthy that the yield increased by an average of 6.3 centners per hectare.

We gratefully name such exemplary cotton-textile clusters that have made a significant contribution to the creation of high cotton harvests such as «Termiz Zhaihun» of Kumkurgan District, «Sangzor-textile» of Dustlik District, «Jizzakh Kenteks» of Zafarabad District, «Boyovut Textile Cluster» of Bayavut District, «Pakhtachi cluster» of Pakhtachi District, «Oqqurgon agro cluster» of Akkurgan District, «Yangiarik tex» of Yangiaryk District, «Koboteks» of the Baghat District, as well as farms «Hushbok bobo» of the Jarkurgan District, «Norkozok ota» of the Sharaf Rashidov District, «Tangirberdi ota» of the Yukarychirchik District, «Savay kurki» of the Kurgantepa District, «Varakhsho Nurli zamini» of the Peshku District and «Rahmatulla Chaman» Beruni District.

 

Dear compatriots!

 

Given increasing competition, life itself dictates the consistent introduction of new approaches, innovative, advanced developments, intensive and resource-saving technologies into agriculture.

The climate changes that have recently taken place all over the world, including in our region, the aggravating shortage of water resources, environmental problems increase the urgency of ensuring synthesis of science and production in the field.

These factors are reflected in the Development Strategy of Agriculture of the Republic of Uzbekistan for 2020-2030, which serves as a policy document in such priority issues as further deepening reforms and the use of innovative technologies, ensuring food security, supplying the population with quality products, expanding the geography of exports.

It should be emphasized that the cluster system being introduced in agriculture based on the market mechanisms and being the most advanced form of management, fully justifies itself in practice. At present, this innovative model is becoming an important tool for the development of the agricultural sector, a source of guaranteed income for the villagers.

In our country, 651 agricultural clusters operate in all areas of agriculture, these enterprises account for 100 percent of the harvested cotton and grain, more than 40 percent of fruits and vegetables.

The agricultural clusters effectively solve such key tasks as modernization and industrialization of agriculture, deep processing of the grown crop, as a result, not raw materials, but finished products with high added value are exported, employment and poverty reduction are provided in the countryside.

Thus, in the cotton growing, the indicator of fiber processing has doubled. Today, 100% of raw cotton is processed in the country, and due to this, the production of yarn has doubled, finished products have tripled. The volume of annual exports amounted to about $3 billion.

It is important that cluster leaders, farmers and dekhqans, who take a good care of the land, rationally use every inch of it, and have great experience and skill, also achieve high performance in horticulture, rice growing, growing medicinal plants, animal husbandry and other sectors of agriculture.

 

Dear representatives of the sector!

 

As it is well-known, in recent years, a serious attention in the country has been paid to measures to improve the fertility of agriculturtal land, the introduction of crop rotation in sown areas, and the development of rain-fed lands. Thus, in 2020-2021, 369 thousand hectares of land were transferred to the crop rotation system. To widely introduce the water-saving technologies, a system of state subsidies has been established.

The positive results are being produced by establishment of greenhouses and ensuring price stability for food products. In 2021 alone, 398 modern greenhouses for 2.3 trillion Uzbek soums were built at 797 hectares, which provided employment for more than 11 thousand people.

All of this helps to meet the needs of the domestic market and at the same time increase the country’s export potential, as well as the development of trade networks, logistics centers and processing enterprises in the countryside.

The new directions of deliveries to foreign markets are opening up and this year, approximately 1.5 million tons of horticulture products were exported to 65 countries of the world. Along with this, it should be noted that the growth in exports of legumes – by 122%, grape products – by 142%, vegetables – by 103%, nuts – to 1.8 times compared to last year.

We should focus on the implementation of new projects concurrently with increasing production volumes, further expanding the range and improving the quality of products through the widespread introduction of market mechanisms into the sphere, as well as training qualified specialists.

Based on these requirements and criteria, the large-scale reforms are planned in the sphere. Undoubtedly, the positive results in the future will be rendered by such measures as reducing the cost of grown products by 30-35%, increasing a land fertility, doubling the income of dekhqans and farmers, supporting the production of export-oriented products and developing horticulture, providing raw materials for agro-industrial enterprises and a significant increase in production volumes, the development of animal husbandry, the transition to the principles of public-private partnership in the management system of water facilities.

I am convinced that you will direct all your skills and experience, strength and energy, your full potential to the fulfillment of the responsible tasks ahead of us.

 

Dear compatriots!

 

The great poet and thinker Alisher Navoi, praising the work of farmers, said that by sowing the fields, they create the basis for the prosperity and well-being of the people. Indeed, these wise words have a profound life lesson.

Once again, I congratulate you on today’s wonderful holiday and wish all of you a sound health, peace and happiness, well-being and prosperity to your families.

May success and good luck accompany all our hardworking dekhqans, who selflessly love their Homeland, in the coming new year 2022!

May our native Uzbekistan prosper!

 

Shavkat Mirziyoyev,
the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan

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