New system for leasing agricultural land will be introduced in Uzbekistan starting in 2026, Shavkat Mirziyoyev announced at a government meeting in Jizzakh province on Tuesday.
According to him, 10,000 hectares of land, put up for auction for specific crops, have not been sold for a whole year.
Due to the poor sales, farmers who leased land will now on their own decide what to grow on it.
The starting price for plots re-listed for auction will be reduced by 10%. The proceeds from the lease will be used entirely for developing the infrastructure of industrial gardens, including water, electricity, and roads.
A large-scale poultry breeding farm with a capacity of 100,000 breeding stock and 9 million hatching eggs per year is being set up in Zaamin together with American partners.
The president Shavkat Mirziyoyev emphasized that this unique project would take the country's poultry industry to a new level.
Shavkat Mirziyoyev criticized the fact that 110,000 hectares of 900,000 hectares of rainfed and pasture land are in reserve and could be converted into forage, oilseed, and industrial orchards, providing employment for at least 20,000 people. Officials have been given directives to develop a three-year program for the efficient use of pastures in the province.
According to him, of the 14,000 hectares of orchards in Bakhmal district, 4,000 hectares are currently idle, with yields of less than 10 tons per hectare. Therefore, the "Bakhmal experience" will be implemented: the old orchards will be converted to intensive farming, and by 2026, only certified seedlings will be planted there.
Additional support measures have also been announced for Bakhmal gardeners: 14% interest preferential loans seven years with a three-year grace period for creating intensive gardens; subsidies for trellises from 20,000 to 70,000 soums. Interest rates for cold storage facilities will be partially reimbursed—up to 8% above the base rate.
Fruit and vegetable exporters and gardeners will receive subsidies to cover 50% of packaging costs. Bakhmal will develop its own gardening expertise, and these benefits will then be extended throughout the country.
