The President gave instructions to concrete the "Yonbosh" and "Erkindaryo" canals by March 1st
The President gave instructions to concrete the "Yonbosh" and "Erkindaryo" canals by March 1
5 billion 700 million cubic meters of water are spent on irrigating 417 thousand hectares of arable land in Karakalpakstan. Meanwhile, losses account for 38 percent, which is 2 billion 100 million cubic meters.
Out of 115 million cubic meters of water passing through the "Yonbosh" canal in Turtkul annually, 44 million cubic meters are lost. If the canal is fully concreted, it will be possible to supply water to another 9 thousand hectares and create a fodder base for 15 thousand head of cattle.
By concreting 8 kilometers of the "Erkindaryo" canal in Bozatov, the utilized land area will expand by 3 thousand hectares, and water supply will improve on 15 thousand hectares. The construction of 3 water facilities and 22 artesian wells will allow creating another 5 thousand hectares of fodder area.
An instruction was given to allocate a total of 135 billion soums for these works and to concrete the two canals by March 1. The task was set to plant fodder on 17 thousand hectares in Turtkul and Bozatov next year, providing income for 2 thousand people.
The attraction of a 4.5 million dollar grant from Japan for the modernization of water facilities was noted as a positive experience. An instruction was given to increase such grants to 100 million dollars next year.
Last year, 276 water pumps were replaced with energy-efficient ones at a cost of 30 billion soums, saving 16 million kilowatt-hours of electricity per year. By April 1, 59 pumps in Karakalpakstan and another 200 pumps in other regions will be upgraded.
There are 4 million 300 thousand hectares of pasture land in Karakalpakstan. Of this, 2.5 million hectares are not being utilized sufficiently to increase population income and multiply livestock.
"Beruniy Agrostar" is restoring 2 thousand hectares of land out of circulation in Kungrad, Beruniy, and Chimbay, adapting it for fodder cultivation. Next year, another 5 thousand hectares will be reclaimed. This will serve as a fodder base for 14 thousand head of cattle.
In Bozatov, 100 billion soums will also be allocated to adapt 7.5 thousand hectares of land for fodder. An instruction was given to submit a resolution within ten days on providing a subsidy of 500 thousand soums per hectare for fodder cultivation.
To study the Egyptian experience, more than 200 farmers, including 26 farmers from Karakalpakstan, were sent to this country. In the initial stage, the Egyptian experience will be introduced on 20 thousand hectares of land in Karakalpakstan.
Specialists and technologies will be attracted from Egypt to increase fodder cultivation in desert areas. A 60 million dollar loan and an 8 million dollar grant being received from the Asian Development Bank for livestock farming will be primarily directed to this project.