BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 19. Over 160,000 hectares of agricultural land in Tajikistan’s Sughd region in the northwest of the country will be provided with water for irrigation through the use of pumping stations this year, the officials at the Department of Land Reclamation and Irrigation of the region told reporters, Trend reports via Tajik media.
To achieve this, new pumps and equipment are being purchased and installed, backed by government funding.
This year, about 12 million somoni ($1 million) was allocated from the regional budget for the purchase of new equipment for pumping stations and water supply lines.
In addition, 5 million somoni ($458,300) was allocated for the purchase of a pump 52V-11 with an electric motor for the Mirzochul-2 pumping station in the Zafarobod district of the region.
Also, measures have been taken to improve the land reclamation condition of agricultural land in the region, with 1,437 hectares having been improved this season alone, accounting for 27 percent of the annual plan.
According to statistical data, the value of the Sughd region's agricultural production reached 15.6 billion somoni ($1.5 billion) in 2022, which is an increase of 26.8 percent compared to 2021.
In terms of potato production, the region ranked first in Tajikistan - 562,924 tons of potatoes produced in 2022.
During the last year, a total of 608,540 tons of vegetables (not including potatoes), 124,477 tons of fruits, and 59,537 tons of grapes were produced in the region.