In the Republic of Uzbekistan, a deeply thought-out strategy of agricultural development aimed at ensuring the country’s food security is being consistently implemented. This approach to the production of fruits and vegetables as an important part of the entire system of life support of the population, maintaining their health, as well as creating employment conditions has become one of the main vectors of the state’s economic and social policy.
Thus, one of the first measures that radically changed the approach to achieving food independence in Uzbekistan was an unprecedented decision, adopted in 1989, on allocating more than 400 thousand hectares of irrigated land for household plots in the regions of the Republic of Uzbekistan.
Further steps on implementing market and institutional reforms in the agricultural sector included a change in the structure of sown areas, a reduction of almost 48.5 thousand hectares of cotton in favor of grain crops. As a result, Uzbekistan, which previously imported more than 80% of its need for grain, gained grain independence. Every year, more than 7 million tons of grain are produced in the country, and there is also a potential to increase this indicator several times through advanced technologies.
Since 1997, the agriculture of our country has been demonstrating a steady positive growth rate, which is 6-7% per year. This made it possible to increase per capita meat consumption by 1.3 times, milk and dairy products – 1.6 times, potatoes – 7 times, vegetables – more than 2 times, fruits – almost 4 times.
The share of agriculture of Uzbekistan in GDP amounted to 17.3% of GDP in 2017. The industry shows steady growth rates of 6–7% per year. These indicators make Uzbekistan one of the leading countries in the CIS for production of fruits and vegetables, fruits, grapes, as the soil and climatic conditions allow us to grow almost all types of agricultural crops.
In 2017, the republic for the first time in its practice introduced a year-round sowing of various agricultural crops. Another solution aimed at increasing the production of fresh vegetables and fruits in the country, their cultivation by the method of hydroponics. In 2018, it is planned to build 352 hectares of greenhouses using this method. Moreover, the corresponding technologies will be imported from South Korea, Iran and Japan. This will allow by the end of 2020 to bring the production of fruits and vegetables to 32 million tons.
The main grain crops of Uzbekistan: wheat, barley, corn, and rice, which are grown in intensively irrigated oases, but at the same time do not have adequate funding for further development, by attracting advanced technologies. There is also great demand, but sesame, onion, flax, and tobacco are grown in small quantities. Fresh fruits are mainly consumed in the domestic market of the country, while dried fruits are exported. Uzbekistan’s watermelons, known for their unique taste are widely in demand in major cities of the CIS.
The skin of Karakul sheep breed, which is a traditional export commodity, is bred in Bukhara and its surroundings, but their contribution to the total export volume is insignificant today. The production of Karakul sheep skins was reduced from 1.4 million units to 700 thousand units. Cattle, sheep and chickens are mainly raised for getting meat. In Uzbekistan, about 3 million cows are bred, which produce 5 million liters of milk annually. According to statistics, one cow produces 1600 liters of milk, which is one of the lowest in the CIS (compared to 2500 liters per cow a year in Russia, Ukraine and Moldova). In this regard, there is the possibility of developing animal husbandry, including increasing the efficiency of milk production.