BAKU, Azerbaijan, Dec. 9
By Klavdiya Romakayeva - Trend:
Uzbekistan and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) discussed requirements for developing and implementing a digital agriculture strategy for transforming the sector, Trend reports with reference to nuz.uz.
The Second Meeting of the Ministers of Agriculture of the Central Asian countries on the topic "Digital Agriculture: Opportunities and Challenges" was held on December 8 in the format of a videoconference.
The Minister of Agriculture of Uzbekistan Jamshid Khodjaev emphasized that at the initiative of the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, 2020 in Uzbekistan has been declared the Year of the Development of Science, Education, and the Digital Economy. In this regard, a special State program was adopted. Also, a large-scale program "Digital Uzbekistan-2030" was developed, providing for a cardinal digital transformation of the country for the next 10 years.
The minister also noted that Uzbekistan is working on creating an integrated information system that will help raise the overall level of digitalization. At the same time, the Ministry of Agriculture of Uzbekistan pays special attention to supporting the aspirations and initiatives of producers of agricultural and food products to introduce smart technologies in their activities.
“Digital solutions such as mobile money, electronic payments, e-commerce, and information and advisory services using ICTs can increase the strength of the agri-food system and ensure the provision of vital technical services to farmers,” the minister said.
“Over the next 20 years, information technology will be actively introduced into agriculture on a sustainable basis. Supported by digital technologies, agriculture can be a driving force not only for economic recovery but also for improving its quality, especially for smallholders and farmers,” FAO Deputy Director-General and Regional Representative for Europe and Central Asia Vladimir Rakhmanin said.
It was noted that the dialogue at the expert level between the countries has become a big step for the exchange of experience in the digitalization of the agricultural sector, the identification of a number of innovative digital solutions in agriculture, and the creation of the foundations for long-term projects.
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