President Shavkat Mirziyoyev chaired a meeting on the effectiveness of ongoing reforms and future priorities in the Syrdarya region.
It was noted that, as a result of the transformations carried out in recent years, significant structural changes have occurred in the region’s economy. In the region, previously focused mainly on agriculture, industry and the service sector have developed rapidly, the business environment has improved, and a class of advanced entrepreneurs has formed.
Last year, the economy of the Syrdarya region grew by 9.8 percent. The region ranked fourth among all regions in terms of industrial production growth, with this indicator increasing by 8.2 percent. The volume of gross regional product per capita is also steadily increasing – from 10 million soums in 2017 to 38.1 million soums in 2025, an increase of almost 3.8 times.
Last year, 42 major investment projects with a total value of more than 333 million dollars were implemented in the region, creating over 17,500 new jobs.
Special attention at the meeting was paid to efforts aimed at transforming the Syrdarya region into a territory of advanced innovation based on Chinese experience. Direct cooperation has been established with Chinese provinces.
Also, during visits to the Republic of Korea, Japan, and Malaysia, negotiations were held with a number of investors, resulting in the formation of projects worth hundreds of millions of dollars. In particular, agreements were reached on projects to establish a livestock complex worth 300 million dollars and a baby food production facility in the Gulistan district. In cooperation with the French company “Bonduelle,” it is planned to launch a food production project in the city of Yangiyer.
At the same time, new investment initiatives are being developed in the digital economy, cosmetics industry, agricultural sector, and processing industry. Specifically, projects have been formed to establish a data processing center in the city of Shirin, as well as acceleration and incubation centers in the city of Gulistan.
At the meeting, the task was set to attract 3 billion dollars in investments to the region this year and to increase the export volume to 500 million dollars. This will allow for an increase in the gross regional product by 9 percent, industry by 8.2 percent, the service sector by 15.4 percent, agriculture by 6.8 percent, and the volume of construction by 15 percent.
Special attention was also paid to issues of employment and poverty reduction. Last year, the poverty rate decreased from 11.3 percent to 6.2 percent. However, this indicator remains higher than the national average.
This year, 10 trillion soums are being allocated to support entrepreneurial initiatives. With these funds, it is planned to provide employment for 185,000 people, reducing unemployment and poverty rates to 4.6 percent and 3 percent, respectively. Measures will be taken to transform the cities of Gulistan, Shirin, and Yangiyer, as well as the Sardoba, Saykhunabad, Syrdarya, and Khavast districts, into territories free from unemployment and poverty.
To achieve this, it was noted at the meeting that it is necessary to continue supporting entrepreneurship and creating new jobs and sources of income for the population in mahallas through programs such as “Hardworking Woman,” “Equal Opportunities – Inclusive Employment,” and “One Mahalla – One Product.”
Issues related to the development of social infrastructure were also discussed. With the allocated 100 million dollars, instructions were given to renovate 47 schools, 45 kindergartens, 35 medical institutions, as well as 18 sports and cultural facilities in the region.
Last year, the issue of ensuring uninterrupted water supply for 22,000 households in Gulistan was resolved. A permanent supply of drinking water was also provided to 12,000 households in the Mirzaabad, Sardoba, Bayaut, and Khavast districts, as well as in the city of Yangiyer.
As part of the development of engineering infrastructure, it is planned this year to build 349 kilometers of power grids, install 99 transformers, and, by expanding the water supply networks, increase the level of drinking water provision for the population to 89.5 percent.
In addition, housing construction is actively continuing in the region. In 2026, it is planned to build 80 apartment buildings with 3.5 thousand apartments, including 1.5 thousand apartments in the “New Uzbekistan” residential areas, as well as new homes under the renovation program.
The need for effective use of agricultural opportunities was particularly emphasized. Syrdarya has significantly more cultivated land per capita than a number of other regions, as well as a good water supply. However, it was noted that fruit and vegetable exports do not yet exceed 60 million dollars.
In this regard, it is planned to establish the company “Syrdarya Agro Invest” and, based on water-saving technologies and advanced agro technologies, to develop profitable cultivated areas in the Khavast district and offer them to the population as ready-made business opportunities. Initially, this mechanism is planned to be implemented on 12,000 hectares of land.
Tasks were set to improve the water supply on 20.8 thousand hectares of land and to save 748 million cubic meters of water.
The meeting also discussed the implementation of the “Smart Village” pilot project in a number of mahallas in the Khavast district, based on Hungarian experience. The project will provide residents, through an open digital system, with information on the transparency of funds allocated to mahallas, public safety, environmental conditions, support for families in need, and opportunities for entrepreneurship.
At the end of the meeting, responsible officials were given a number of specific instructions. In particular, tasks were defined for placing investment projects in the “Syrdarya” Free Economic Zone in the city of Gulistan, providing for the creation of at least 5,000 jobs, launching a 100-million-dollar solar panel production project, and modernizing the transformers of the “Feruz” substation.
In addition, tasks were set to develop a feasibility study for the construction of the “Sultonkhovuz” reservoir in the Bayaut district, attract funding from international financial institutions for the repair of regional roads, establish an agro-complex for the storage and processing of pomegranates in the Mirzaabad district, as well as open modern seedling cultivation centers.
Also paying special attention to teaching young people modern professions and foreign languages, the President emphasized the need to establish qualification assessment centers in accordance with international standards and to train at least 2,000 young people.
The Head of state noted that every project implemented in the region should have a tangible impact on the income and living standards of the population and gave relevant instructions to ensure the timely and high-quality implementation of the assigned tasks.