Uzbek president visits Surkhandarya region

Uzbekistan, Tashkent, June 16 / Trend D. Azizov / Uzbek President Islam Karimov visited Surkhandarya region and took part in the extraordinary session of the Surkhandarya Regional Council of People's Deputies, the Uzbek National News Agency (UzA) reported. While speaking at the session, the president stressed that economic growth rates has hit 8.7 percent in Surkhandarya region for the last five years, including the industry - 24.5 percent, agriculture - 23 percent, indices of development in the construction, transport and communication increased by 2.9 and two times respectively, the share of small business and entrepreneurship in the structure of gross regional product increased from 63.9 to 73.8 percent. This is the highest index in Uzbekistan. Large industrial enterprises, communications facilities, including the railroad "Toshguzar - Baisun - Kumkurgan" were constructed and commissioned. About 525 billion soums were spent on these operations. The development of the polymetallic ore deposit Khondzhiza, construction of "Shindong spinning" raw cotton processing enterprise with a project cost of $12 million, "Surhon-Termez-Silk" silk raw material processing enterprise with a project cost of $ 1.5 million play an important role in the industrial potential of the region. More than 430 kilometers of irrigation networks have been recently built and reconstructed within the state land reclamation program in the Surkhandarya region. Main facilities of irrigation system of "Amu Zang" channel were reconstructed through the loan worth $ 73 million of the Asian Development Bank loan. The fertility of 80,000 hectares of land was increased. The cotton yield increased by 2-3 centners, grain - 4-5 centners over the last three years. As of 2011, the average yield of cotton was 29.2 centners, grain growing - 48.9 centners. Along with the success, the existing problems were also discussed. Thus, the share of light industry in total industrial production decreased from 50.7 to 43.8 percent. On the same day the Uzbek President familiarized with the fields of "Surhon Sarwari" farming in Termez district. He talked with farmers, asked about the progress of harvesting operations, as well as visited a military unit of Border Troops of the National Security Service. He spoke to the officers and soldiers, familiarized with the service, life and living conditions of soldiers. Do you have any feedback? Contact our journalist at agency@trend.az