20th Anniversary International Exhibition on Agriculture - AgroWorld Uzbekistan 2025

11 - 13 March 2025, Uzexpocentre NEC / Tashkent, Uzbekistan

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THE MAIN TASK OF WATER MANAGEMENT IS WATER USE EFFICIENCY

Water is a great gift of nature, which has no alternative. It is a source of life not only for animals and plants, but also for the entire system of the universe.

Our country forms 20 percent of water resources. The main part comes from the territories of neighboring states. As a result of climate change, the volumes of life-giving moisture are decreasing year after year, while the population and demand for it are growing. According to forecasts, by 2030, the water deficit in Uzbekistan may reach 15 billion cubic meters.

Minister of Water Resources of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

Today, when water problems are becoming global in nature, the rational use of shared water resources in Central Asia is one of the important factors in ensuring sustainable development in the region.

The head of state pays special attention to solving these issues, promoting important initiatives both within the country and on the world stage. As a result of the wise policy of the President of Uzbekistan, friendly relations with neighboring republics have created a solid foundation for the joint use of transboundary water resources.

At the UN General Assembly, meetings of the leaders of Central Asian countries and other prestigious forums, the head of our state emphasized that the solution of all vital issues - from border security to rational use of water resources, concerning the development of Uzbekistan, which has a common border with all countries of the Central Asian region - is directly related to how relations with neighboring states are developing.

At the UN Climate Change Conference (COP29) held in November 2024, the need for unified approaches to prevent transboundary water pollution and maintain sustainable biodiversity was noted, which became another confirmation of what was said.

During meetings and negotiations, water ministers and diplomats of neighboring countries recognize that President Shavkat Mirziyoyev is promoting new initiatives in the international arena for the benefit of not only the people of Uzbekistan, but also all residents of the Central Asian region.

In our republic, 90 percent of water resources are spent in agriculture. In Central Asia, Uzbekistan is considered a state with the largest number of irrigation and meliorative networks and the largest water management infrastructure.

The area of ​​irrigated land is 4.3 million hectares. At the same time, over 60 percent of the land is irrigated using pumping stations, and about 50 percent is saline to varying degrees, which complicates the solution of certain problems.

To ensure food security in the water sector, well-thought-out solutions are proposed. In particular, it was emphasized: in order to rationally use water resources and reduce their losses, it is necessary to transfer work on saving water and consumed electricity to an emergency mode. Thus, in order to reduce water losses in irrigation networks, at the initiative of the President of the country, 2024 was declared a shock year for concreting canals in the water sector of Uzbekistan, and 2025 - the year of increasing the efficiency of pumping stations. Based on this, our first important task is concreting canals and ditches.

According to experts, in irrigation systems with natural cover, an average of 14 billion cubic meters of water is lost per year without any economic benefit. The State Budget allocated 676.7 billion soums, 555 km of canals were reconstructed at 75 sites, 433 km of which were concreted. 121 billion soums were allocated from the State Budget part of projects with the participation of international financial institutions for the project "Water Resources Management in the Fergana Valley. Phase 2". 160 kilometers of canals were modernized in the Andijan, Namangan and Fergana regions.

At the initiative of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Karakalpakstan and regional khokimiyats, clusters and farms have concreted 13.5 thousand kilometers of internal irrigation systems. In the concreted irrigation systems, the filtration coefficient has decreased, the water use system has been improved, and the water supply to 300 thousand hectares of land has been improved. The efficiency of irrigation systems and irrigation networks has increased from 0.66 to 0.67. For example, in the Alat district of the Bukhara region, water supply to three thousand hectares of agricultural land was extremely difficult. In 2024, 21 kilometers of five canals were concreted in the district. As a result, water supply to 11.2 thousand hectares of land has been improved. Thanks to the concreting and reconstruction of the DM-1, DM-2 and DM-3 canals, where water is supplied from the Jizzakh main pumping station of the region, water supply has been improved on 58 thousand hectares of land of 364 farmers of the Zarbdar, Zaamin, Pakhtakor and Sharaf-Rashidovsky districts. If water was supplied to the Kulpisar area of ​​the Sharaf-Rashidovsky district in four to five days, now it is in three.

Work in this direction will continue in 2025. 800 billion soums are allocated for the reconstruction of irrigation networks at 76 sites. It is planned to reconstruct 570.4 km of canals, 21 km of trays and 45.3 km of closed irrigation networks. Water supply to 300 thousand hectares will be improved, and water losses in canals will be reduced by an average of 450 million cubic meters per year.

The second important task is to increase the efficiency of pumps. Today, about 1,700 pumping stations are used for irrigation at the expense of the State budget, consuming seven billion kWh of electricity per year. Recently, a billion dollars were allocated for the modernization of such large pumping stations as Karshi, Amu-Bukhara and Amu-Zang. In 2024 alone, 156 pumps and 154 electric motors were modernized. 2,388 LED lamps, 109 solar panels and water heaters, 85 frequency converters, 102 capacitor units were installed.

As a result of the measures taken, it was possible to reduce annual electricity consumption by 1.5 billion kWh: if in 2017 electricity consumption was 8.3 billion kWh, then in 2023 it was 6.8 billion kWh. By the end of 2024, it is planned to save 350 million kWh of electricity compared to the limit.

The third important task is the introduction of water-saving technologies. In 2024, water-saving technologies were implemented on 326 thousand hectares, including drip irrigation on 82.7 thousand, sprinkler irrigation on 39 thousand hectares, discrete irrigation on 30.6 thousand hectares, and flexible pipe irrigation on 174 thousand hectares. 507 thousand hectares of land were leveled with laser equipment. If in 2017 the area covered by water-saving technologies amounted to 28 thousand hectares, then in 2024 it was 1.9 million hectares, including the territories where drip irrigation was implemented reached 561 thousand hectares. Due to the use of modern technologies this year, it was possible to save two billion cubic meters of water.

In 2025, water-saving technologies will be implemented on another 500 thousand hectares. There are enough opportunities for this. If before 2018 there were only three enterprises in the country producing equipment and components for water-saving irrigation technologies, now their number has reached 62. They have the capacity to produce products that can cover more than 500 thousand hectares per year.

In the next three years, the practice of subsidizing 15 percent of agricultural machinery and 30 percent of laser levelers will be continued. The system of subsidizing laser field leveling in the amount of one million soums per hectare, previously introduced in Karakalpakstan, will also be extended to the Khorezm region.

The fourth important task is digitalization. At a videoconference on measures for the rational use of water and energy resources, as well as reducing losses in agriculture, held on November 7, 2024, the President of the country emphasized that the only way to radically change the water management sector is digitalization. Serious work in this direction began in 2021. Based on the indicators outlined in the Strategy "Uzbekistan - 2030" and the Concept of Development of Water Management of the Republic of Uzbekistan for 2020-2030, "Smart Water" systems have been installed, allowing for online monitoring of water resources at 12,988 water metering stations of reservoirs and irrigation systems over four years. Diver systems have been installed in 8,894 reclamation water monitoring wells to track groundwater levels and soil mineralization levels. Water consumption monitoring devices have been installed at 1,739 pumping stations. The management of 80 large water management facilities has been automated.

A Water Management Digitalization Center is being created under the Ministry. A unified information system for water consumption and metering will be launched. The experience and achievements of advanced foreign countries are also being introduced into the sphere.

A $22 million project to transfer water resource management to a "smart" system has been completed in the Dustlik district of the Jizzakh region with the participation of a Chinese company. Meters and video cameras have been installed at two thousand water distribution points. Automated management with the repair of 20 percent of irrigation systems will save another 10 percent of water resources. Water resource management is planned to be transferred to the private sector. Clusters will be formed based on cooperation with farmers. At the same time, prepayment for water use is being introduced for the first time.

On November 16, 2024, a republican exhibition seminar was held in Dustlik District, at which it was decided to implement projects in each region with the involvement of investors to automate water resource management in one district. Every effort is being made to increase the share of foreign investment in the water sector, develop public-private partnerships, and improve land reclamation.

In 2024, $ 109 million was spent on seven projects from international financial institutions. 180 vertical wells were drilled, 223 hydraulic structures and 62 kilometers of canals were reconstructed.

In 2020-2023, 452 public-private partnership projects worth six trillion soums were signed and entered into the state register. In particular, 300 pumping stations and six wells were transferred to the private sector in 2023. The projects envisage saving 83.3 million kilowatts of electricity and 120 billion soums of budget funds. All water management facilities in six districts, including 92 km of irrigation and 245 km of drainage networks, three pumping stations and 170 observation wells, have been fully transferred to private management.

In 2024, work was carried out to transfer 500 water management facilities to the private sector under public-private partnership. The process of signing such agreements continues.

The water flow accelerates in concreted canals. This is an excellent opportunity for the construction of small hydroelectric power plants and the generation of electricity. The construction of 148 such stations with a total capacity of 11 megawatts has begun in the Navoi region. By building two thousand micro hydroelectric power plants in the regions, it would be possible to obtain an additional 600 million kilowatts of electricity per year.

Spring and autumn floodwater collection is another important source. By constructing the appropriate facilities, it is possible to improve water supply on 50 thousand hectares in the Samarkand, Kashkadarya, Surkhandarya, Namangan, Fergana and Tashkent regions. Joint work is being carried out in this direction with JSC Uzbekgidroenergo.

About 2.442 million hectares of irrigated areas of the republic are non-saline, 1.883 million hectares are saline to varying degrees, 2.3 million hectares are serviced by open collectors, 465 thousand hectares by closed horizontal drainage wells and 277 thousand hectares by vertical drainage wells. Their total length is 144 thousand kilometers.

In 2024, as a result of the construction and reconstruction of 10 thousand km of reclamation facilities, as well as repair and restoration work, saline areas were reduced by 510 thousand hectares. As a result of concreting 555 km of the irrigation network, the filtration level decreased, and the salinity of the land decreased to 235.6 thousand hectares.

A lot of explanatory work was carried out with consumers, including regarding the fact that water is not free, as well as promoting the value of this vital natural resource, its protection. The culture of water use of the population is increasing.

In general, 2024 was a year of radical changes for the water sector. By the Decree of the President "On measures to improve the water resources management system and increase the efficiency of their use at the grassroots level" dated January 5, 2024, 155 district irrigation departments and 161 special water services were abolished. On their basis, 159 district state institutions "Suv ​​etkazib berih khizmati" ("Water Supply Service") were created. The issue of the sources of monthly salaries of water supply service employees was resolved, their salaries were more than doubled.

For the irrigation season from April 1 to October 1, a limit of 31.5 billion cubic meters of water was allocated from the total volume of water sources in the republic. A limit of 28.2 billion cubic meters was approved for irrigation works, and 29.7 billion were allocated. During the year, it is planned to save eight billion cubic meters of water in agriculture.

Since 2024, the tax rate for the use of water resources for agriculture has been set at 100 soums per cubic meter of water. To strengthen the material and technical base of water supply services, 150 billion soums have been allocated from the State Budget and special equipment has been purchased. According to the Decree of the President "On determining priority areas for the implementation and development of a modern management system in water management" dated May 7, 2024, a vertical management system of three links has been created and the functions of the organizations of the Ministry of Water Resources have been distributed. The monthly salaries of middle and senior management employees have been increased.

The integration of science and production is a subject of constant attention. In cooperation with the Research Institute of Irrigation and Water Problems and the National Research University "Tashkent Institute of Irrigation and Agricultural Mechanization", successful work is underway to implement scientific and innovative developments. Within the framework of state scientific and technical programs aimed at solving problems in the field of water management, two fundamental, six practical and 20 scientific studies, experimental design work are carried out. The total cost of the projects is 7.3 billion soums.

The development of the industry depends on personnel. Every year, more than 500 highly qualified specialists are hired by the system organizations. In 2024, 1,716 managers and specialists improved their qualifications.

In 2023, together with JSCB "Agrobank", the activities of "Suvchilar Maktabi" ("School of Water Workers") were launched. Modern classrooms and experimental sites using advanced water-saving technologies have been created in 13 regions of the republic. In 155 districts, more than 61 thousand managers and employees of farms have been trained in short-term courses. In 2024, practical skills were developed for 13 thousand farmers.

They say that the one who brings water is dear to the people. Therefore, irrigators are the owners of a noble and respected profession. Thanks to their diligent and difficult work, the country prospers, the dastarkhans are rich, and the well-being of the people grows.

Inspired by the attention and care of the state, employees of the sector make every effort to prevent useless waste of water, use it effectively and serve the people of the republic with dignity.

We, the builders of the New Uzbekistan, try to keep up with the times in the era of rapid changes and renewals in all areas.