The second Tashkent International Investment Forum held a roundtable discussion on "Quality Investments for Agriculture".

The event was moderated by Dan Patterson, director of Silverleafe. There were also speakers like Minister of Agriculture of the Republic of Uzbekistan Aziz Voitov, EU Ambassador in  Uzbekistan Charlotte Adriaen, Vice President of CNH Industrial Steven Nadherny, Commercial Director of CIS and Turkiye Sergey Stefanov, Chairman and co-founder of BGI Group Wang Jian, Vice President of John Deere Peter Sachse, and Director of AMC Overseas FZE Suvra Chakraborty.

Modern agriculture requires the widespread implementation of innovative technologies in the production process. This is why countries invest large amounts of money in scientific and technological development, modernization of production facilities, and personnel training. Investments in this area aim to improve living standards in rural areas, creating new jobs and enhancing the environmental situation. What measures should Uzbekistan take to maximize the efficient use of agricultural land? These questions were discussed at a roundtable discussion.

- There have been big changes in agriculture in Uzbekistan in recent years,- said Ministry of agriculture Aziz Voitov. - In particular, more than 4,000 entrepreneurs have been allocated 200,000 hectares of land over two years, and more than 30 types of subsidies to support small farmers. If earlier the process of land allocation was carried out through local authorities, now it is carried out online through an open portal. Considering our country’s climate conditions, we have a great demand for water-saving technologies. Subsidies are given to entrepreneurs to implement them. In recent years we have also benefited from cotton textile clusters. There used to be many problems in this direction. The abolition of child and forced labor has also helped improve our image in the global community.

Agricultural productivity increases with farms and textile clusters. These have attracted $5 billion in investments over 5 years.

During the roundtable, the EU Ambassador to Uzbekistan, Ms Charlotte Adriaen, spoke about the need to support young farmers entering the labor market, and small-scale farming, improve their knowledge and skills, and their level of education.

- The liberalization of Uzbekistan's agricultural sector has been noticeable in recent years,-Charlotte Adriaen said. - Every entrepreneur is given a chance. First, we need to improve the quality of the food we produce to ensure a place for these products on the world market. Now small farmers are able to implement good projects, and we must support them and be a bridge between them and investors.

Noting that hot climatic conditions in Uzbekistan are intensifying, Commercial Director of  CIS and Turkiye Sergey Stefanov said:

- In 2030, Uzbekistan's water supply will decrease by 25%, which means productivity will decrease by the same amount. Drip irrigation technology saves water. This includes introducing new irrigation methods, improving skills, and developing the qualification and potential of farmers and workers. Every country has its own brand product, and in our country I consider it to be  Uzbek tomatoes. If you go to a shop in Moscow where there are tomatoes from different countries, you will see that the Uzbek tomato market is the most attractive. Increasing the range of such branded products on the world market and supplying them in line with the level of demand can be achieved by establishing proper land protection, rational water utilization, the introduction of new technologies, and the process of digitalization.