President Mirziyoyev signed a decree on Tuesday ordering to prepare proposals to ensure a stable supply of natural gas to greenhouses in Tashkent and the Tashkent province. This is part of a program of steps to further advance environmental reforms.

According to the decree, the following directives have been given:

• analyze greenhouses' natural gas needs, as well as available capacity and grid connection options;
• conduct an inventory of the technical condition and capacity of gas distribution networks in areas where greenhouses are located;
• implement energy-saving heating technologies by exploring the potential for the efficient use of natural gas and alternative energy sources such as biofuels and solar energy;
• improve seasonal schedules, limits, and tariff mechanisms to ensure uninterrupted gas supply, and take steps to prevent interruptions in greenhouse operations.

The Ministry of Energy, the Tashkent and Tashkent province governor and mayor offices, the Ministry of Economy and Finance, and the National Committee on Ecology and Climate Change have been appointed responsible for implementing this task.

The October presidential decree established that greenhouse farms operating on natural gas would receive guaranteed volumes of natural gas from October to March, subject to 50% prepayment for each month.

The Ministry of Energy has been instructed to enter into sale contracts for guaranteed gas volumes annually by October 1 (within 10 days for 2025). Furthermore, the contracts must clearly define the supplier's liability for damages caused by shortfalls in natural gas supply, resulting in crop losses.

This was prompted by complaints from businesses regarding high fertilizer prices, unstable gas supplies, and debt burdens, which have already led to the closure of greenhouse operations on more than 600 hectares. Another 128 hectares have been transferred to bank balance sheets due to debt.

In January of this year, the Ministry of Ecology reported that 46 greenhouses in the Tashkent province and the city of Tashkent had been closed for air pollution. The owners of 426 greenhouses were warned to install dust and gas cleaning equipment and to ban the use of rubber and other waste as fuel.

In January 2024, the Ministry reported that instead of a "green" ring, a "gray" ring of coal-fired greenhouses had formed around Tashkent, polluting the air. The Ministry of Ecology also enumerated other major causes of air pollution.