Azernews.Az

By Abdul Kerimkhanov

Seed clusters for the production of crop seeds will be created under conditions of a public-private partnership for the first time in Uzbekistan.

New clusters will appear in Bukhara, Kashkadarya, Namangan, Samarkand, Surkhandarya and Fergana regions.

Mirziyoyev instructed the government to take the necessary decisions on the organization of seed cluster activities by the end of December, providing for the definition of specific land areas on which they will be located and the sources of funding for activities.

The main tasks of the new clusters included the production, preparation and sale of sowing seeds of technical, grain, leguminous, vegetable, melon and other crops in accordance with the requirements of state and international standards, including in protected ground, using hydroponics and aeroponics technology; the creation, on the basis of the existing collections of varieties, of local and foreign selection of a system for the production of varieties and hybrids of agricultural crops that have high yields, high quality and resistance to harmful organisms and diseases, focused on the production of competitive products with high added value; assistance in conducting research with the scientific and educational institutions to create new varieties and hybrids of agricultural crops; rendering on a contractual basis assistance to agricultural producers and educational institutions in improving the skills of personnel in the field of seed production.

Uzbekistan is a doubly landlocked country in which 51 percentage of the population lives in urban settlements; the agriculture-rich Fergana Valley, in which Uzbekistan’s eastern borders are situated, has been counted among the most densely populated parts of Central Asia. Since its independence in September 1991, the government has largely maintained its Soviet-style command economy with subsidies and tight controls on production, prices, and access to foreign currency.

Despite ongoing efforts to diversify crops, Uzbek agriculture remains largely centered on cotton; Uzbekistan is the world's fifth-largest cotton exporter and seventh-largest producer.

Uzbek exports include energy products, cotton, gold, mineral fertilizers, ferrous and nonferrous metals, textiles, foodstuffs, machinery, automobiles.

Uzbek imports include machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, chemicals, ferrous and nonferrous metals.

On November 21, $1=8,276 Uzbekistani som.

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Abdul Kerimkhanov is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AbdulKerim94

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