On April 14, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev chaired a government meeting on the development of agricultural engineering. He set the task of mastering the production of modern agricultural equipment, ensuring its quality and service, the presidential press service reported.
For this purpose, an agricultural machinery cluster is to be created in Chirchik at the industrial cluster, where the equipment of the former Tekhnolog and Agregat factories has been relocated. It is also planned to transfer the Tashkent plant of agricultural machinery (the former Tashkent Tractor Plant) there.
The cluster with a project cost of 500 billion soums, or US$ 45 million and an annual production capacity of 15,000 pieces is expected be launched in January 2023. In it, it is necessary to launch the production, first of all, of cultivators, seeders, mowers, chisels, and harrows. To meet the high demand for equipment for laser leveling, it was entrusted to arrange its production.
He pointed to the opportunities for localization of 90 types of components and reducing the cost of equipment by at least 12%. To this end, it is planned to launch a foundry in Andijan before the end of the year.
Repairs, parts sourcing and maintenance require an integrated sales and service system and 100 mobile teams in all regions, the meeting said.
As a result of the modernization of tractor construction carried out in 2021, the cost of tractors decreased by $4,600. Thanks to this, the enterprises of the industry, which had previously worked at a loss, turned into a profit, the report says.
The new system of state support for the production and purchase of agricultural machinery is reportedly yielding results. In January-March, subsidies worth 23 billion soums were allocated for the purchase of 1,600 units of agricultural machinery.
The use of combines for cotton harvesting will reach 35% this year, and 50% in 2023, it was noted at the meeting.
During the 2021 election campaign, Shavkat Mirziyoyev said at a meeting with voters in Karshi that 40% of agricultural machinery would be modernized over the next five years. The level of agricultural mechanization will rise to 90%, including the machine-picking of cotton from 15% to 60%. The practice of compensation from the budget of 30% for the use of machines in the cotton harvest will be extended for another three years.
