Mirziyoyev criticizes districts for failing to meet tree-planting targets

On October 21, during a video conference chaired by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, a review of the national project "Green Space" highlighted that 28 districts in Uzbekistan failed to meet their tree-planting targets for the spring season. Presidential press secretary Sherzod Asadov reported the details of the meeting.

It was noted that thousands of saplings did not grow because they were planted in areas lacking proper irrigation, ignoring local climatic conditions. Specific figures included 322,000 saplings planted in Tashkent city, 96,000 in Samarkand, 67,000 in the Tashkent region, 61,000 in Karakalpakstan, 24,000 in Bukhara, and 15,000 in Navoi—all in areas without suitable water systems.

The report highlighted Bukhara, Tashkent, Andijan, Surkhandarya, Samarkand regions, and Tashkent city as having the most issues. In response, the President called for stricter oversight, tasking the General Prosecutor's Office to ensure proper management. Officials were instructed to detail the specific locations and quantities of seedlings, including provisions for irrigation and funding, with a warning that accountability measures would be enforced.

President Mirziyoyev emphasized "The need for cultivating high-quality seedlings suited to Uzbekistan's climate. Leveraging the resources of the Academy of Sciences, ecological and agricultural organizations, research institutes, and universities to boost seed and seedling production."

To address these issues, plans were outlined to establish four gardens for drought- and salt-resistant plants in Nukus, Arnasoy, Karakol, and Mubarak districts by 2023. Additionally, a system based on Korean methods was set up to cultivate two million seedlings in drought-resistant containers. The Ministry of Agriculture was instructed to begin in-vitro cultivation of rare fruit seedlings across 327 hectares in various regions.

The initiative also includes planting saxaul, sugarcane, and circassian seeds over 250,000 hectares of desert in regions like Karakalpakstan, Bukhara, and Khorezm, using drones to facilitate the process.

Earlier, President Mirziyoyev emphasized the importance of factories in waste processing and energy production as crucial to the nation's development, highlighting this during a presentation at the Central Asian University of Environmental and Climate Change Studies.