BAKU, Azerbaijan, Nov. 14
By Fakhri Vakilov-Trend:
Effective use of the great potential of Uzbekistan’s silk-growing industry will allow increasing annual exports to $500 million in the coming years, stated at a video conference on the further development of livestock, poultry, fish farming and sericulture, held by Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Trend reports with reference to president’s press service.
Mirziyoyev emphasized that sericulture is an industry that allows getting export-oriented products in a very short time, within 30-35 days. There are more than 20 countries harvesting mulberry cocoons in the world, and Uzbekistan takes the third place in terms of harvesting volumes after China and India; however, the country's share in the world market is only 2.5 percent.
As a result of measures taken over the past two years, in particular by arranging the procurement of silkworm cocoons four times a year, the crop was brought up to 19,000 tons.
The meeting addressed industry issues. It was noted that 6,000 hectares of mulberry plantations in Uzbekistan have degraded, and the yield on 37,000 hectares does not reach even 30 percent.
Eighty percent of the silkworm eggs is imported. The material and technical base of the Scientific Research Institute of Sericulture, which is the only institution in the country creating a super-elite variety of eggs, is outdated.
The head of state voiced forecasts for the future. It is planned to create 20,000 hectares of new mulberries and renew 10,000 hectares of old mulberries by the end of 2022.
For this purpose, the population will be provided with plots of 1-3 hectares in existing mulberry plantations on the basis of a family contract. Along with the proceeds from cocoon harvesting, the population will have a harvest from additional crops grown between the rows of mulberries at their disposal.
President set a task to bring the volume of cocoon harvesting to 21,000 tons next year and up to 30,000 tons in 2025.
The head of state also instructed to establish the procurement of eggs of the “superelite” and “elite” varieties in Uzbekistan, to provide support for the silkworm eggs stations, and to take measures for the chemical and biological protection of the mulberries.
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