Xinhuanet
November 17

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a 26 million-US dollar loan to boost farm incomes in Uzbekistan by promoting more efficient and sustainable wheat production.

The Grain Productivity Improvement Project will provide assistance to five wheat-producing provinces in the central part of Uzbekistan, covering wheat breeding, introduction of new wheat varieties, disseminating improved farming technologies, and strengthening the pest-monitoring program, the Manila-based ADB said Monday in a statement.

The project will introduce reforms in some districts of the region, including the reduction of mandatory volumes of wheat and wheat seeds that farms are required to sell to the state, the ADB said.

It will also help local government facilitate private sector investments in seed production, provision of farm inputs, and agro-processing and marketing. Reforms introduced in the districts are to be expanded nationwide in a phased manner.

The project assistance will address key challenges in wheat cultivation in Uzbekistan. Although the country is self-sufficientin wheat production, crops are susceptible to local pests and diseases because the varieties used are not well adapted to the local climate.

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