The first portal about pistachio in Central Asia was launched - a new step in promoting a new, highly profitable technology of rainfed farming. On December 9, at the PROON Office in Uzbekistan, at the initiative of the Small Grants Program of the Global Environment Facility (PMGEF), an information meeting with journalists was held, where the official presentation of the website was held: www. pistachio.uz
The meeting was attended by journalists from many print publications, the Internet press, radio, television workers and even representatives of the film industry, who are hatching plans to create a feature film, in the script of which a significant place is given to the theme of rainfed agriculture, or rather the creation of a pistachio plantation.
Pistachio as a tasty attribute of the festive table, although expensive, is known to many. But how to grow it in the harsh conditions of rainforests and get a good income at the same time, few know, one might say a few. But every interested person has the opportunity for this, and almost every worker who has land in the arid foothills can create his own garden on the bogara.
PROON and the Global Environment Facility Small Grants Program (PMGEF ) in Uzbekistan are making a number of efforts in the field of environmental protection and sustainable development. In particular, together with national partners, intensive work is being carried out in this regard to combat land degradation. And the presented site, created with the support and participation of the Zukkov Foundation, in partnership with scientists from the Republican Research and Production Center for Ornamental Horticulture and Forestry under the Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources, confirms this.
Why pistachio and what is a website for?
The pistachio was not chosen by chance. This is a primordially local, drought-resistant culture that contributes to the improvement of the ecological situation in rainfed zones, the receipt of a stable and substantial income for people in rural areas, who are often the most vulnerable in socio-economic terms. The main value of rainfed lands is that it is possible to cultivate agricultural crops on these lands without artificial irrigation.
“It is pistachio that is one of the most profitable crops in low water conditions, as evidenced by the results of research and data from scientists,” said Farid Garakhanov, PROON Deputy Resident Representative in Uzbekistan. - In addition to various data on this culture, the new site also provides an opportunity to exchange opinions with those people who want to do this business. At the same time, the lands that are idle today, that is, they do not give any income, will be mainly used. It is also widely known that the pistachio tree contributes to the improvement of the ecological situation, prevents soil erosion, and contributes to the improvement of the microclimate in the regions in which it is cultivated, - F. Garakhanov said in addition. PROON, together with state institutions, including the Republican Scientific and Production Center for Ornamental Horticulture and Forestry under the Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources of the Republic, will continue to try to promote this crop, disseminate information, help people who decide to cultivate it, - he said in conclusion F. Garakhanov's speech
Currently, a lot of work is being done, and pistachio scientists have accumulated colossal experience over many years of work. Leading experts-scientists of the center of decorative gardening and forestry, Galina Chernova and Evgeniy Botman, who on that day led their pistachio team, told the guests about all this in detail.
The created site is intended to become a repository of this knowledge and experience, which are open for wide access and user convenience. The site is designed in a simple and user-friendly manner. Its pages contain information about the pistachio. In particular, the area of its growth is described, information is given about natural pistachios in Uzbekistan and Central Asia, including the useful properties of pistachios and the economic and biological characteristics of some varieties and forms.
The main materials that reflect the entire experience of working with pistachio are publications about pistachio, among which there are already several versions of recommendations for the creation of plantations and an economic analysis of the cultivation of pistachio plantations. The site will allow users to reduce time costs and directly establish contacts, create opportunities for starting a business. Site users will be able to receive professional support and advice from leading experts on pistachio growing technology.
Initially, the site was developed and conceived for the residents of Uzbekistan as a live information platform, a good mechanism for obtaining up-to-date information and exchange of experience between all those interested and willing to start growing pistachios. It makes it possible to formulate business ideas and in confirmation of this there are already the first proposals.
It should be noted that ThuThe site is located in the TAS-IX zone and users have free access to it, which means the possibility of free access to all materials and content of the site. In order not to restrict those who wish from different geographic regions and to attract more users to the site pages, three language versions of the pages were also developed. Two of them are in Russian and Uzbek with identical information and one version is somewhat shortened in English. Currently, the site has its own page in the social. facebook networks.
The pages of the site also contain information about the events taking place with the circle of interested parties in this topic, we also hope that other initiatives taking place in Uzbekistan on the pistachio theme will be displayed here. The site has a photo gallery, which is replenished with all sorts of pictures, as well as a video gallery, which contains several videos, where the center's specialists talk about pistachio, its physiology and the technology of preparing seedlings for planting plantations.
Among the interactive tools of the site, it should be noted the presence of a map of Uzbekistan, which shows the altitude zone with the most optimal zones for growing pistachios and planting plantations. The map contains information about the places of new plantations of pistachio plantations with contacts of farmers engaged in its cultivation. Thus, those who wish can contact these farmers, find out from them the information of interest and, if desired, go and see everything with their own eyes.
A little about our history
The GEF Small Grants Program with PROON support in Uzbekistan in 2008, in the Jizzakh region, launched the first pistachio plantation initiative as a means of improving the drylands of the foothills of Uzbekistan. Now, thanks to this step, the pistachio, once "knocked out of its native land with a human ax and the hooves of cattle," began to return to its native land and cover numerous hectares of unfavorable and unproductive foothills of Uzbekistan.
The first project helped create over 30 hectares of pistachio plantations. The "pistachio boom" began across the country. The office of the PMGEF received numerous calls with a request to purchase pistachio seedlings, they called with questions about the care of the seedlings. The PROON team forwarded those who wish to specialists-foresters. There were many calls, and the foresters sometimes did not have time to answer them. The need to create a strong point, a kind of “growth point” for the pistachio business, was obvious. To this end, in 2011, within the framework of the GEF SGP project with the support of PROON, on the basis of the existing plantation, in the Gallaaral region, Jizzakh region, a “growth point” is created for the pistachio business for Jizzakh, Samarkand and Kashkadarya regions, where the existing varieties and forms of pistachios were collected , the grafting materials of which are used for further distribution to farmers.
But this was not enough. Two years later, a project began to create another growth point in Andijan for the entire Fergana Valley, and the same point was laid in the Surkhandarya region. Today you can find young pistachio seedlings in the Jizzakh region, in Andijan, Kashkadarya and in the Surkhandarya region. Within the framework of the projects, the pistachio plantations created cover about 250 hectares of rainfed lands in several regions of the country. The number of pistachios planted by farmers and dehkans on their own in the country is even more and every day their number is only growing, and now it is not possible to calculate at least an approximate number of hectares covered with pistachios. Perhaps in the near future, it will be possible to count hectares using modern high-tech GIS (Geographic Information Systems).
A lot of work is being done in the direction of developing pistachio farming and practical experience has been accumulated in six joint projects. Currently, work is underway to formulate a project in the Tashkent region. Thus, there will be four pistachio growing points throughout the country.
What is being done, what else can I do
In Uzbekistan, there are currently more than 700 thousand hectares of low-moisture rainfed lands located in the foothill natural zones of many regions. Now these lands are idle or are used extremely ineffectively, although they can bring tangible income if the attitude towards their use is changed. The piedmont rain forest is a zone of natural growth of pistachios, where at one time it covered vast areas, forming whole forests. But the growing human pressure on these fragile ecosystems has brought pistachios to the brink of complete extinction, and fertile lands to degradation. And in many parts of the country now there are only one names of places associated with pistachio (Pistali-say, Pistali-tau, Pistali-mazar).
It is necessary to use dry conditions for a ready-made technology for growing drought-resistant pistachios. To use rainfed lands in order to prevent degradation, there is no need to carry out large-scale reclamation measures: water supply; use heavy agricultural machinery; conduct several agrotechnical measures and apply a large amount of mineral fertilizers. It is possible to save and preserve the fertility of the land by restoring the vegetation cover. By creating pistachio plantations, we create conditions for the organization of a new plant community, and this will help us to effectively combat degradation, desertification and loss of fertility of our lands.
Pistachio farming is the most profitable type of rainfed agriculture in the arid climate of Uzbekistan
In our case, it is a long-term guarantee of the country's food security. And the business started today will pay dividends in the future. Almost all rainfed foothills of Uzbekistan - this is no less than about 700 thousand hectares of land - can be developed for the commercial planting of pistachios and become one of the long-term assets for attracting investments. Upon reaching the stage of economic fruiting, 1 hectare of pistachio plantation provides an income of over 100 million soums. Now, imagine what the total income can be borne by the existing 700 thousand hectares of rainforests?
Today we are attracting the interest of users to rainfed lands, but pistachio can grow and generate more income on more flat lands, with additional irrigation. Today, the land fund of Uzbekistan has more than 4 million hectares ideal for creating pistachio plantations. All these lands can be simply astronomical income!
After all, it is not for nothing that the people say: "If the farmer is rich, then the Motherland will be abundant."i(PODPIS)
The results of the economic analysis carried out within the framework of one of the PMGEF projects showed that pistachio farming is the most economically profitable type of rainfed farming. The cultivation of this valuable nut fruit is many times more profitable than the production of any other agricultural crop, as well as animal husbandry. The main value of rainfed lands is that it is possible to cultivate agricultural crops on them without artificial irrigation.
Uzbekistan produces 200 tons of pistachios per year and occupies only 13th place in the rating of pistachio producing and exporting countries, many times behind leading countries such as Iran, the USA, Turkey, Syria and China, which produce pistachios in hundreds and tens of thousands of tons, earning while millions of dollars. But nevertheless, the prospects for Uzbekistan in the development of this industry are very bright. It is only necessary to change the attitude towards land use and switch to new effective practices.
The PMGEF under PROON, together with state institutions, including the Republican Research and Production Center for Ornamental Horticulture and Forestry under the Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources and the mass media, is trying in every possible way to promote pistachio and its cultivation technology. Today's meeting is a good example of such cooperation.
The creation of a website dedicated to pistachios and its presentation to representatives of the national media is one of the important steps that we are taking to promote this culture, so that as many people as possible plant pistachios and return it to its former status - “mistress of the foothills”.
Pistachio is Uzbekistan's renewable green gold fund
It would not be bad to have such a fund for future generations of Uzbeks.
And what do you think?
