Poverty rate in Fergana drops to 5.2%

On April 28, Shavkat Mirziyoyev held a meeting in Fergana to discuss the socio-economic development of the Fergana region. The information was reported by presidential press secretary Sherzod Asadov.

The head of state first highlighted changes in the region’s economy in recent years.

Previously, about 70% of the region’s income was generated by six or seven large enterprises in the petrochemical and construction materials sectors.

In recent years, 8,000 modern production facilities have been launched in the region with $8.2 billion in investment. Around 100 trillion soums have been allocated to support entrepreneurship, commercial space has expanded by 10 million square meters, and 13,500 small and medium-sized enterprises have been established, nearly doubling their total number.

As a result, the gross regional product has increased 1.7 times, industrial output by 1.5 times, and services by three times. Most importantly, over the past four years, unemployment has declined from 9.2% to 4.6%, while the poverty rate has fallen from 11.6% to 5.2%.

Due to expanded fiscal autonomy for local authorities, each district retained at least 5–10 billion soums in additional budget funds in the first quarter of this year.

Significant progress has also been made in improving housing conditions.

For example, in Margilan, it was previously common for two to three families to live in a single household. Within a year, 241 old houses in the Ipakchi and Qirguli neighborhoods were replaced with multi-story residential buildings comprising 2,500 apartments. In the Navruz neighborhood of Margilan, an additional 6,500 families are expected to move into the “New Uzbekistan” residential area this year.

Similar developments are underway in Yozyovon and Quva districts, as well as in the cities of Kokand and Fergana.

Over the past decade, schools with a total capacity of 74,000 students, kindergartens for 145,000 children, and hospitals with 3,000 beds have been commissioned in the region. In addition, 167 private schools have been established, educating more than 40,000 students.

As the quality of education has improved significantly, the region now ranks third nationwide in terms of university admission rates among young people.