On November 17, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev reviewed a presentation outlining proposals to enhance efficiency in cotton farming through advanced practices and technologies, and to provide financial support for agriculture.
Agriculture plays a vital role in our country’s economy. The sector accounts for 20 percent of the economy, generates 467 trillion soums worth of products annually, and employs 3.5 million people. Furthermore, fresh and processed agricultural products make up one-third of total exports.
At the presentation, the issues of increasing yield in cotton farming were thoroughly reviewed.
To this end, measures were developed on direct work with low-yield farmers, implementation of advanced agrotechnology and fertilization practices, and fundamental revision of the agronomist training system.
In particular, a proposal was made to establish a mentorship program in cotton farming, assigning advanced farmers with yields exceeding 60 centners per hectare to farmers who yield less than 30 centners per hectare.
Advanced farmers will undergo retraining at the Institute of advanced training in agriculture and receive certification. If the yield of the low-performing farmers increases to at least 50 centners, their assigned mentors will be awarded a bonus of 5 million soums.
To improve the agronomist training system, a two-year “dual education” mechanism will be introduced for graduates of the Agrarian university and other higher education institutions specializing in agronomy. Students interning at advanced clusters and farms will receive scholarships, and the specialists who train them will be paid an incentive bonus.
The creation of local cotton varieties was also specifically reviewed during the presentation.
It was noted that although the country has two leading scientific institutions – the Center for Genomics and the Cotton Research Institute – their capabilities are not being fully utilized.
To further develop variety selection and primary cotton seed production, instructions were given to build phytotrons and reproduction greenhouses at these institutes. As a result, the time required to develop a new local variety will be reduced by 2.5 times, accelerating the work of scientists and eliminating the need for imported seeds.
Plans to popularize the practice of planting cotton under plastic film were also discussed.
The President underscored the importance of expanding the use of agrodrones in the sector and training specialists in this field.
The introduction of artificial intelligence technologies in the agricultural sector was discussed. Information was provided on the current work being carried out by the Ministry of agriculture in cooperation with foreign companies, to train specialists and establish scientific infrastructure in this field.
Financial support measures were also discussed in detail.
It was proposed to launch a voluntary crop insurance system for cotton, grain, fruits, and legumes starting in 2026, with 50 percent of the insurance premium to be covered by the state budget.
To simplify the subsidy system, a proposal was put forward to establish an Agency for payments in agrarian sphere that would allocate 75 types of subsidies currently issued by various departments through a single platform. This will drastically reduce bureaucracy and inconvenience for farmers.
The President approved the proposals and gave the relevant instructions to the responsible officials.