On February 3, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev held a government meeting on the effective use of water resources and the introduction of water-saving technologies in agriculture.
Currently, the area of irrigated land in Uzbekistan where water-saving technologies are applied has reached 2.6 million hectares, accounting for 60 percent of the total irrigated area. For comparison, before 2017, territories where water-saving technologies were implemented covered 19 thousand hectares. As a result of these efforts, annual water savings have reached 2.5 billion cubic meters.
It is planned to introduce water-saving technologies on another 930 thousand hectares by 2028, increasing the total area to 3.5 million hectares, or 80 percent of all irrigated land. This is expected to make it possible to save 3.5 billion cubic meters of water annually, improve water supply on 300 thousand hectares, and ensure the irrigation of secondary crops.
To this end, new mechanisms of state support for the introduction of water-saving technologies in agricultural production will be introduced.
A new subsidy mechanism will be introduced for those who implement water-saving technologies using their own funds without attracting bank loans.
Subsidies will also be provided for areas where drip and sprinkler irrigation are introduced for the cultivation of grain crops.
Partial reimbursement of interest on loans provided by commercial banks for the purchase and installation of water-saving technologies will be introduced. Loan funds for the implementation of drip irrigation in cotton fields will be allocated annually starting from November.
