Tajikistan’s commitment to agricultural innovation is evident in the continuous evolution of greenhouse cultivation methods. Alif Tolibov, the director of the Institute of Horticulture and Vegetable Growing, highlights five approaches, emphasizing the importance of selecting crops suitable for each method and prioritizing disease and pest-resistant varieties.

Geographical advantages, fertile soil, a skilled workforce, a mild climate, and an established market position in Tajikistan are favourable for greenhouse expansion. The success stories of farmers like Madjid Shoyev, who cultivates Meyer lemons, and Azamat Abdurakhmonov, who produces thousands of tomato seedlings, showcase the profitability and potential of greenhouse farming.

As an example, an experienced grower from the Ozodagon jamoat, Pyanj district, Khatlon region, Majid Shoev is interviewed. He built greenhouses with an area of 7 acres on his personal plot, where Meyer lemons grow. This type of subtropical plant grows well in greenhouses.

“Over many years of practice, local breeders managed to create a variety of citrus fruits that are resistant to external influences and even transfer seedlings of young lemon trees to other farms. In the first greenhouse there are 120 bushes over 5 years old, and in the second – 50 seedlings of three years old. Of course, the work has its own nuances. To get the desired harvest, it is necessary to follow agrotechnical rules. Lemon seedlings begin to produce a good harvest after three years. Seedlings over 5 years old yield up to 80-90 kilograms, and three-year-old seedlings yield up to 30 kilograms,” said Majid Shoev.

Growing lemons, he said, despite certain subtleties, is a profitable industry.

Tomato seedlings

According to another agrarian from the village of Chorbog jamoat Ishmurod Niyazov, Kubodiyonsky district, Azamat Abdurakhmonov, up to 30 thousand tomato seedlings are grown in his greenhouse with an area of 1 hectare. Depending on the season, the greenhouse employs up to 20 local people. On average, the greenhouse can harvest 61 tons of crops per year, including 36 tons of tomatoes and 25 tons of cucumbers.

“To grow vegetable crops, it is necessary to monitor soil and air humidity, temperature, provide the plants with sufficient light, regularly fertilize them, and fight pests and diseases. Greenhouses allow you to harvest several crops a year. The harvest season in greenhouse conditions begins in November and lasts until May,” he explained.

These efforts contribute to local markets’ winter resilience and also hold the promise of stabilising prices. As Tajikistan continues to invest in and adopt advanced agricultural practices, the expansion of greenhouse areas signifies a positive trajectory for the country’s agricultural sector, the director says.

Source: Horti Daily

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MINSK, 6 October (BelTA) – Belarus will supply seeds, livestock, canned meat, dairy and fish products to Tajikistan. Such arrangements were reached as a result of the visit of Belarus’ Agriculture and Food Minister Sergei Bartosh to Tajikistan, BelTA learned from the press service of the Agriculture and Food Ministry.

There are plans to deliver machine kits and other types of equipment to the assembly factory of Agrotechservice and to assemble grain harvesters. The second forum of rectors of higher education institutions is to be held in Minsk.

All in all, 14 bilateral documents were signed by Belarus and Tajikistan covering key areas of trade and economic cooperation, including eight contracts totaling more than $16 million.

During the Belarus-Tajikistan Business Council, a number of Belarusian food producers arranged a tasting of their products. Those were Orsha Meat Canning Plant, Rybkhoz Selets, Minsk Dairy Plant No. 1, the Novogrudok branch of Lida Dairy and Canning Plant, Bellakt and the state food industry concern Belgospishcheprom.

Source: Belta

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Specialists from the American University of North Carolina, in a publication in Nature Plants, presented the results of their research work, during which they found that during the selection process, carrots acquired an orange color due to three genes, recessive mutations in which allowed them to accumulate a large number of orange pigments , namely alpha and beta carotene.

American specialists analyzed 630 genomes of modern carrots, from which they assembled an improved reference genome of this root vegetable. Subsequently, DNA was isolated from each of them and the sequence of fragments was established, in which overlaps were identified and a complete genome was assembled. This allowed scientists to recreate the evolutionary tree of carrots and establish the exact moment of cultivation of one or another variety.

Thus, they were convinced that carrots became domesticated at the beginning of the Middle Ages in Central Asia, and they acquired their characteristic orange color in Western Europe already during the Renaissance. The scientists’ findings indicate that three variants of genes responsible for the accumulation of orange pigments alpha- and beta-carotene were responsible for the color. They were found in the REC, Or and Y2 loci, and mutations in them almost immediately turned the root crop dark orange.

Source: Gismeteo

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Lahore   –  Caretaker Punjab Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi Sunday reached Tashkent on a two-day official visit to Uzbekistan where he met Agriculture Minister Dr Aziz Voitov to explore opportunities of cooperation in different sectors. During the meeting, they agreed to enhance cooperation between Punjab and Uzbekistan in the agricultural sector, with a focus on cotton production and digitalization. It was decided that the coordination between the governments of Punjab and Uzbekistan will be further strengthened to increase collaboration in agriculture, and necessary steps will be taken with Uzbekistan’s support to digitize the agricultural sector in Punjab.

The CM told the Uzbek minister that Punjab government will utilize Uzbekistan’s 9-point agenda under the 10-year program of agricultural development to drive progress. In line with Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi’s directions, a team comprising the Chief Secretary and the Secretary of Agriculture was formed to foster cooperation between Punjab and Uzbekistan in the agricultural sector. This team will take steps to benefit from Uzbekistan’s experience in the agricultural revolution. During the meeting, top officials from Uzbekistan’s agricultural sector briefed the Punjab government delegation about the successful measures undertaken in Uzbekistan’s agricultural revolution. They emphasized that Uzbekistan’s economy was strengthened through the 9-point agenda, and the development of agriculture played a crucial role in transforming the country’s destiny.

Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi extended congratulations to President Shavkat Mirziyoyev on his re-election and the important constitutional reforms in Uzbekistan. He emphasized the unity between Pakistan’s political and military leadership in driving sustainable agricultural development. The Punjab government aims to leverage Uzbekistan’s expertise and experience to achieve higher production in the agricultural sector, particularly in cotton production. The visit to Uzbekistan is not only beneficial for Punjab’s farmers but also seeks to boost overall agricultural production, CM added.

The Uzbek Minister of Agriculture expressed full willingness to cooperate with the Punjab government, especially in cotton production. He said that Chief Minister Punjab Mohsin Naqvi’s leadership has already led to a significant increase in the area under cotton cultivation in Punjab.

Additionally, Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi held a meeting with Uzbekistan’s Minister of Textiles and Garments Industry, Mr Ilkhom Khaydarov, in Tashkent. They discussed ways to enhance cooperation between the Punjab government and Uzbekistan in the textile and garments industry. It was decided to establish a joint committee to promote bilateral collaboration in this sector. Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi highlighted Pakistan’s vast potential in the textile industry and emphasized that both countries can become a textile hub in the region through mutual cooperation and trade. With joint efforts, the textile sector can reach new heights. The Uzbek Minister of Textiles and Garments Industry hosted a lunch in honour of Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi and his delegation.

Source: Nation News

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ASTANA, Aug 7 (Reuters) – Kazakhstan is in talks with Abu Dhabi Ports to set up a joint venture that would help ship Kazakh agricultural exports via Iran and then Gulf ports, the Central Asian nation’s government said on Monday.

Kazakhstan, a significant exporter of agricultural commodities such as grains and oilseeds, wants to ship cargoes to Iran via the Caspian Sea and have them delivered to Iranian Gulf ports such as Amirabad and Bandar Abbas and then further to other destinations in the Gulf, Asia and Africa, it said.

Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister Serik Zhumangarin discussed the project with Davood Tafti, the chief executive of Simatech Shipping and Forwarding, which the Kazakh government said was a subsidiary of AD Ports Group.

Landlocked Kazakhstan has traditionally exported its grains and oilseeds mostly to neighbouring Central Asian countries and China, and also shipped some to Black Sea ports via Russia.

Source: Market Screener

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