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Characteristics of agriculture in Uzbekistan in the years of independence
Faizullaev Maksud Abdullaevich, National University of Uzbekistan named after Mirzo Ulugbek, Tashkent city, Uzbekistan, senior fellow at the Department of Geography
E-mail: m.fayz@mail.ru
Characteristics of agriculture in Uzbekistan in the years of independence
Abstract: Agriculture plays an important role in the national economy of the Uzbekistan Republic. The article analyzes the main changes and reforms undertaken since independence. Particular attention is paid to the development of farming enterprises, structural changes in the crop area, land reclamation.
Keywords: agriculture, agricultural products, farm and farmer facilities, cotton, grain, land reclamation, reforms.
Deep reforms were implemented in the Uzbekistan agriculture after the country gained its independence. This period can be characterized as a stage of intensive agriculture development. At that time agricultural products were the main source of foreign exchange resources. They were vital for the country food and became the main area of equipment and technology import. Special attention was paid to the grain production. The goal was to achieve self-sufficiency, and this task was carried out by limiting the monopoly of cotton. For example, from 1990 to 2013, the size of cultivated areas increased from 433.2 thousand acres to 1 610.7 thousand acres, or almost 4 times. The productivity of land increased from 12.8 to 44.1 hwt/ha (Fig. 1). The harvest gross increased from 553.5 thousand tons to 6 545.3 thousand tons. The size of cultivated areas was increased with re-cultivated land and areas irrigated for cotton. Moreover, a higher productivity was achieved. In 1993-2013 the amount of land planted with cotton was reduced from 1 721.0 thousand hectares to 1 342.5 thousand hectares. Thereby the raw cotton production decreased from 4 646.3 thousand tons to 3 442.3 thousand tons.
In the studied years you can easily observe the expansion of cultivated land with land for food. Reduction of land
for cotton was much less. At that time, with the exception of pasture for cattle from the agricultural lands, reducing acreage for feed grains in irrigated lands created a number of problems in the animal husbandry. In 1991 the agricultural sector owned 92 % of the pastures; the total pasture area decreased by 40 % due to the extremely haphazard livestock production and reduce of pasture fertility reduce without its recreating [1].
One part of unsuitable pastures was included in the category of reserved lands, and the other became forest fund. Country livestock has about 13 million hectares of grazing land, most of which are located on the territory of the Karakal-pakstan Republic, as well as Bukhara, Kashkadarya and Navoi regions, where there is the bulk of grown cattle (sheep).
The Tashkent, Navoi and Khorezm regions lead in livestock productivity in the country. When it comes to gross figures, Samarkand, Khorezm, Kashkadarya, Bukhara become leaders in the meat production of meat. Samarkand, Khorezm, Kashkadarya take the first place in milk production. Cities like Tashkent, Samarkand, Khorezm and Andijan are leaders in the egg production. Kashkadarya, Samarkand, Navoi, Bukhara and Djizzak are leading in the production of wool [2].
1991 1995 2000 2005 2013
■ Grain ■ Cotton
Fig.1. Cotton and grain yield in 1991-2013 in the Republic of Uzbekistan (hwt/ha). The graph is based on data from the State Statistics Committee of the Uzbekistan Republic
As a result of measures taken in the process of agrarian reform in the village a new economic structure was created. This structure met all requirements of a market economy and necessary changes occurred in the agricultural production. This is
explained by the formation of farms. Support for farmers from the state and improvement of their activities coordination were organically related to the implementation of promising agricultural policy. In particular, the President of the Uzbekistan
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Section 8. Regional studies and socio-economic geography
Republic has stated in the decree “On the Concept of development of farms in 2004-2006” from October 27, 2003 that all-round farms development in the future has been identified as prioritized for reforms in agriculture [3].
Based on resolutions № 243 and 543 of the Cabinet of Ministers, 17 farms identified as unpromising. As an experiment, they were completely eliminated, and 1 022 farms were created instead. The experiment started giving positive results from the beginning. Despite the lack of water that year, the average yield in the newly formed farms increased by 9 hwt. At the same time studies show the effectiveness of the material use was also high.
The Cabinet of Ministers in 2000 adopted a number of resolutions under which in 2001 instead of 52 unpromising farms 3428 new ones were created. In 2002 they created 3 099 farms on the basis of 83. In 2003, 177 old farms were replaced by 11 383 new ones. As a result, by the beginning of 2003, the number of farms was 71 406, with total land area reached 1 591.7 thousand acres (approximately 22.3 hectares per farm).
Proper attention to the farms formation during the transition to the economy with market relations expressed the basic content of the agrarian reforms. The creation of farms was carried out gradually and consistently. However, with deeper analysis it reveals that, despite the measures taken, there are
still a number of urgent problems that need to be solved. For example, there were problems identified such as inefficient use of land by some farmers, chronic instability of financial and economic conditions, inadequate supply of material and technical resources, soil and climatic conditions of different areas in the allocation of land, the neglect of issues such as density and employment, as well as inappropriate land division in accordance with the specialization of farms (growing cotton and grain, horticulture and viticulture, vegetable and melon growing, animal husbandry, etc.).
Decree of the President of the Uzbekistan Republic “On measures to optimize land area of farms” from 6 October 2008 was adopted in order to find a solution to such problems [3]. During the optimization process in order to ensure the realization of this document, the number of farms was reduced from 215.776 to 71.7 thousands, i. e. 66 % as of 2013. These farms operate at 5345.8 thousand hectares and employ over 1.3 million people. The land area per farm has expanded from an average of 27.4 to 81.7 hectares. In 2013, 35.0 % of the agricultural production gross in the country accounted for farms. Wherein, 99.1 % of cotton and 85.0 % of grain are produced by farmers [4]. In the years 2000-2013 the composition of cultivated land under economic categories has changed dramatically (Fig. 2). For example, if in 2000 the share of farmers came to 16.7 %, while in 2013 the figure was 84.6 %.
Fami Enteiprises
.Arable Farms
Agricultural
Enteiprises
Fig. 2. Comparative share of cultivated area under economic categories in the Republic of Uzbekistan (2000-2012, in percentage). The graph is developed on the basis of the data from the State Statistics Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan
As of 2013, more than 4.6 million of arable farms are operating in our country and 1 420.6 thousands of people are involved in this form of farm management. The share of arable farms in the gross output of agricultural commodities is increasing. For example, if in 2000 the share of arable farms in the gross output of agricultural commodities amounted to 47.5 %, in 2013 it amounted to 64.8 %.
In its turn, whereas in 2000 each arable farm accrued to 0.12 hectares of land, then due to increasing of the land
area, each farm currently has on average 0.24 hectares of land. In 2013, the total area of land allocated for arable farms amounted to 458 thousands of hectares, which made 13.1 percent of the total cultivated area in the country. Along with the positive changes, there are problems to be solved in the activities of farm enterprises and arable farms based on private property.
Generally, at the stage of the agriculture intensive development, the positive figures were achieved as a result of the optimal land and water usage, improvement of irrigated lands.
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Characteristics of agriculture in Uzbekistan in the years of independence
In the agro-economic system of the country, cotton production has a significant share leading Uzbekistan to be the fifth largest producer in the world and the third largest exporter of cotton.
In order to implement comprehensive measures for reconstruction, repair and rehabilitation of irrigation and reclamation systems (infrastructure), aimed at sustainable improvement of meliorated condition of irrigated lands, a State program designed for 2008-2012 was developed and gradually implemented. During the implementation of a specially developed program the meliorated condition of lands is gradually improving.
Only in 2010, the funds in the amount of 150 billion of soms were directed towards implementation of the projects for land improvement. It allowed to construct and reconstruct 724 km. of collector and drainage networks, 208 ameliorative wells. Over 14 thousand km of collector and drainage networks were repaired and restored, 335 units of modern ameliorative equipment were acquired. In 2010, the funds from international financial institutions amounting to more than 62 million dollars were raised and spent to reconstruction of irrigation and reclamation facilities in Kashkadarya, Bukhara, Navoi, Surkhandarya, Syrdarya, Jizzakh regions as well as in Central Fergana and the Republic of Karakalpakstan [6].
Through the implementation of such large-scale projects, the meliorated condition of irrigated lands has been improved, which in its turn serves as a basis for increasing crop productivity and income of farmers and arable farms.
Following the results of measures implementation for improvement of lands meliorated condition in 2010, the maintenance of groundwater at an optimum level for agricultural crops was achieved. Throughout the Republic, with respect to 2009, the area of relatively high and medium salt lands was reduced by 11.7 thousands of hectares; in the areas of ameliorative measures implementation only in 2009-2011 an increase in cotton yield by 1.6-2.5 dt/ha and lyme grass crops by 2.0-2.7 dt/ha could be observed.
In 2008-2012 throughout the country the meliorated condition of 1 500 thousands of hectares of irrigated lands was improved, the area of land with high groundwater level was reduced by 415 thousands of hectares or by just under 10 %, high and medium salt lands by 113 thousands of hectares or by 12 %. As a result, in 352. 1 hectares of12 387 farms, where meliorated condition and water supply was improved, cotton yield increased by 2-3 dt/ha and lyme grass crops by 3-4 dt/ha.
Within the optimization of cotton cultivated areas the change in the composition of the cultivated areas due to the cultivated areas expansion allocated for lyme grass crops, vegetable and melon can be observed. For example, the cotton cultivated areas were partly reduced in Andijan, Kasansay, Chartak, Srednechirchik, Uzbek and Buvayda districts. Cotton sowing was completely denied in Asaka, Yangiyul and Jomboy districts.
Thereupon the freed irrigated lands in the area of over 30 thousands of hectares were used for cultivation of cereals, vegetables, potatoes, vegetable gardens and vineyards were created. As a result, in 2012-2014 while maintaining the cotton production level, cultivation of vegetables was increased by 16.3 %, melons by 16.6 % and fruit by 21 %. In 2012-2014 nearly 50 thousands of hectares of new vegetable gardens were created, including extensive gardens in the area of more than 14 thousands of hectares, vineyards in the area of 23 thousands of hectares; to create intensive orchards over 6 million of nurseries were brought from Poland, Serbia and other countries [5].
Thus, the undertaken studies suggest the presence of prospects for further agricultural development in the Republic. The particular importance of re-developed lands in the gross output of agricultural commodities in the region, improvement of mechanisms for efficient water and land usage requires measures that have a positive impact on the agricultural development in the economic modernization period.
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