Tashkent (TDI): Uzbekistan is focused on advancing agricultural efficiency by enhancing water and energy usage, with President Shavkat Mirziyoyev recently chaired a meeting on these critical issues.
The country’s agricultural sector currently relies on over 1,600 pumping stations, consuming 6.8 billion kilowatts of electricity to irrigate 2.5 million hectares of farmland.
As part of a new initiative, the government aims to reduce electricity consumption by 20% by modernizing pumps and integrating solar panels.
In the Khorezm region, 92 farmers have already adopted energy-efficient pumps, resulting in a 20% reduction in electricity use.
Additionally, some farmers have been able to sell surplus solar power to the state, earning an extra 7-8 million UZS ($548-626) monthly.
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Water conservation measures have also proven effective, with the implementation of water-saving technologies saving 2 billion cubic meters of water across more than 2 million hectares.
Over 50 local companies are now producing these devices.
However, challenges remain, with some drip irrigation systems failing to function properly.
Moreover, a 10 billion UZS ($780,000) subsidy for laser leveling in Karakalpakstan has yet to be fully utilized.
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To address this, the Khorezm region has been tasked with increasing the subsidy for laser leveling to 1 million UZS ($78.00) per hectare and improving oversight of these initiatives.
Next year, the government will allocate 700 billion UZS ($54 million) in subsidies and 2.5 trillion UZS ($195 million) in loans to further promote water-saving technology.
Additionally, flood reservoirs are set to be constructed in 13 districts, which will improve water supply for 50,000 hectares of farmland.
President Mirziyoyev Stresses Importance of Digitization
President Mirziyoyev stressed the importance of digitization for meaningful progress in this sector.
While Uzbekistan has already installed around 1,700 online monitoring devices and 12,000 smart water devices, a unified system is needed to effectively track and analyze water usage data.
To facilitate this, a Water Management Digitization Center will be established to oversee the new system.
