The creation of pistachio plantations is a way to combat land degradation and a mutually beneficial solution for nature and humans.
We are again talking about pistachio - "Queen of the foothills" and this time, our audience is the entire Fergana Valley with its indefatigable diligence of farmers, generous sun and unique nature.
"How to create a plantation of varietal pistachio - a new economically profitable solution for the efficient use of rainfed lands in the Fergana Valley" was the title of a seminar organized for farmers and dehkans, which took place on July 11, 2014 in the city of Andijan. The seminar was organized by the Council of Farmers of Uzbekistan, the Andijan khokimiyat, the Small Grants Program of the Global Environment Facility in Uzbekistan (PMGEF) with the support of the United Nations Development Program (PROON) in Uzbekistan, the Michael Zukkov Foundation and the Republican Research and Production Center for Ornamental Horticulture and Forestry ( Republican Scientific and Practical Center DS and LH).
Practical training on the technique of budding on a young pistachio plantation of the farm "Kukhna dala sardori", Asaka district, Andijan region.
The Fergana Valley with its three regions is one of the densely populated regions of Uzbekistan. Agriculture here is the main activity and the main branch of the region's economy. The zone of rainfed agriculture, comfortable for the growth of real pistachio (lat.Pistacia vera), extends along the entire framing of the Fergana Valley. Currently, these lands are used as, and many years ago, mainly for rainfed cultivation of cereals, oilseeds, as well as pastures.
In the face of climate change, it is not possible to profit from the grain harvest every year. Often, crops only cover the cost of seed material or are completely absent. All the land is divided by the local population into small plots and is mainly used for pastures, which degrade due to overgrazing and turn into low-productive lands. In other words, this kind of economic pressure on these lands can intensify degradation and bring them to the brink of desertification. And it is very important to take new steps to prevent such threats and improve the efficiency of rainfed land use.
Chernova Galina Mikhailovna, Doctor of Agricultural Sciences, Professor. Leading researcher at the Republican Research and Production Center for Ornamental Horticulture and Forestry (RNPC DS and LH). The main specialist is a pistachio expert in Uzbekistan, the author of many varieties and forms of pistachios. Galina Mikhailovna devoted her entire working life to pistachio and this year she is celebrating an anniversary - 50 years of working with pistachios.
The Farmers Council of Uzbekistan continues to strengthen cooperation with the GEF Small Grants Program in Uzbekistan and its national partners, on whose initiative a pistachio workshop was successfully organized and held in Tashkent and is now organizing another event in Andijan. This initiative aims to disseminate among farmers the experience of alternative farming and the use of dry and marginal lands for the creation of pistachio and almond plantations. This practice will help preserve the biological functions of the soil, generate income and improve the living standards of farmers and local communities.
"Quote of the day" posted on the wall of the hall - to match the topic of the seminar: "If the farmer is in abundance, then both the home and the land will be landscaped."
At the seminar, the farmers learned how to choose a place to create a plantation of varietal pistachio; prepare the soil for sowing seeds or planting seedlings with a closed root system; learned the technique of marking sowing and planting places.
“Today's seminar is just about the reforms being carried out in Uzbekistan to transform farms into multidisciplinary ones. Today I made some plans for myself, received advice on growing pistachios, and we will definitely create pistachio plantations in our area. I learned a lot about the fact that pistachio is successfully grown abroad and, being a sustainable crop, is of great economic interest. We, too, must deal with pistachio to improve nature, improve the living standards of our farmers and the efficiency of their farms, ”Obidzhon Nosirov, chairman of the Kengash of farmers in Zhalakuduk district, Andijan region, shared his opinion in an interview with Yoshlar TV channel.
Obidzhon Nosirov, chairman of the Kengash of farmers in Zhalakuduk region, Andijan region.
Information about pistachio was broken down by subject and provided to pistachio experts in stages. The perspectives of pistachio growing in the valley were very interesting and fascinating, which inspired the participants of the seminar and during the speech of the woman farmer Ibodat Yuldasheva, the farmers expressed their intentions to create pistachio plantations. One of the farmers even said that he was ready to plant as much as 100 hectares of pistachios on dry land! Taking into account the interest in this culture, it was decided to jointly develop a proposal for the use of unproductive rainfed lands, work out a program and apply with a letter to the Chairman of the Council of Farmers of Uzbekistan Turdyev Sodikjon with a request for assistance in allocating vacant land in the regions for laying pistachio plantations. It was very gratifying to see the reaction of the participants, to hear such speeches and to witness grandiose plans. This is how great things are born.
The theoretical part of the seminar was summed up by farmers Rustamzhon Pozilov and Ibodat Yuldasheva, with their stories about their personal experience of creating a pistachio plantation.
On the territory of the farm "Rustamjon gulshani" Rustamjon Pozilov, a Center for the dissemination of technology for industrial pistachio plantations for the Fergana Valley is being created within the framework of the PMGEF project, the so-called "growth point" for creating a pistachio business in the entire Fergana Valley.
To demonstrate the practical aspects, a trip of the participants to the Asaka district and a visit to the farm "Kukhna dala sardori" was organized, where specialists carried out work on budding a young pistachio plantation.
The seminar was attended by about a hundred farmers from Fergana, Namangan and Andijan regions, as well as representatives of the involved ministries, departments, educational institutions, public organizations, journalists and other interested persons.
Ibodat Yuldasheva, f / v "Kokhna gave sardori".
“I learned about the possibility of growing pistachio from a magazine article,” Ibodat Yuldasheva shares her success story. “Three years ago I planted 560 pistachio seedlings on 2 hectares. Fearing to lose soil in the container with which the seedlings were delivered, they planted directly in plastic containers. Of course, there were losses, many seedlings did not take root on the "mainland", but still I managed to preserve and grow 437 young pistachio seedlings and now they are almost human-sized. These days, specialists from Tashkent carried out budding on my site and now I have 17 different varieties of pistachios on my plantation. In the future, my farm may become a "growth point" from where other farmers can get high-yielding varieties of pistachios. "
The pistachio is real - the grateful and generous "Queen of the Foothills".
Budding is done! The story continues.
Photo by R. Murzakhanov and PMGEF Uz
Below, for your attention, there is a Business plan for farmers and dehkans of Uzbekistan for the creation of pistachio plantations:
