President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has instructed governors to restore 620,000 hectares of degraded pasture and raise its productivity by the end of the year, after reviewing a presentation on preventing degradation and improving water supply.
Governors must restore a further 3.7 million hectares next year. Within a month, they will approve programmes with the Livestock and Pasture Development Agency to cut degraded areas by 10% this year and 20% next year.
The presentation said the country has 21,255,000 hectares of pasture, but only 40% is used effectively. The head of state said using this resource fully is critically important for food security.
Revenue from pasture leases will stay with regional pasture farms and fund 448 additional wells, improving water supply to 1.5 million hectares next year. Another 1,600 wells will be repaired by year-end. A further 100 billion soums from the budget will pay for 323 irrigation facilities, allowing 969,000 hectares to be restored.
By year-end, 627,000 hectares will be leased free of charge for 49 years to 470 mahallas as tax-exempt community pastures. Livestock complexes may be built without changing land category, and pastures may be leased for ecotourism, beekeeping, medicinal plants, nurseries, hunting and silk farming. The meeting stressed that natural condition and regeneration must be preserved.
In Navoi province, 30 billion soums from the local budget is funding reconstruction of the Kengsoy pumping station, which will open up 20,000 hectares. In Kashkadarya province’s Nishan district, pivot irrigation has been installed on 1,332 hectares, and the approach will be extended to the Mubarek and Dehkanabad districts.
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