Environment - The Times Of Central Asia

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Uzbekistan Aims to Develop Agriculture with Smarter Water and Energy Use

Uzbekistan's President Shavkat Mirziyoyev recently held a meeting on the efficient use of water and energy in agriculture. More than 1,600 pumping stations currently use 6.8 billion kilowatts of electricity to irrigate 2.5 million hectares. Through the partnership, electricity consumption can be reduced by 20% by upgrading pumps and solar panels. For example, 92 farmers installed modern pumps in the Khorezm region, saving 20% of electricity. Some sold excess solar energy to the state and received an additional monthly income of 7-8 million UZS ($548-626). Water-saving technologies have helped Uzbekistan save 2 billion cubic meters of water in an area of more than 2 million hectares, and more than 50 local companies are producing these devices. However, some drip irrigation systems are still not working, and the 10 billion UZS ($780,000) subsidy allocated for laser leveling in Karakalpakstan hasn’t been used. Khorezm was also instructed to extend the subsidy for laser leveling to 1 million UZS ($78.00) per hectare and improve control over these technologies. Next year, 700 billion UZS ($54 million) in subsidies and 2.5 trillion UZS ($195 million) in credit will be used for water-saving technology. Additionally, flood reservoirs will be built in 13 districts, improving the water supply for 50,000 hectares. Mirziyoyev emphasized that real change requires digitization. About 1,700 online monitoring devices and 12,000 smart water devices are already in place, but Uzbekistan needs a system to collect and analyze this data. To address this, a Water Management Digitization Center will be set up to manage a new unified system for tracking water use.

Kazakhstan Grasslands Project Wins Environmental Prize Backed by Prince William

The Altyn Dala Conservation Initiative, a group dedicated to restoring and protecting Kazakhstan’s grasslands and wildlife, is one of several winners of a prize launched by Britain’s Prince William in 2020 to highlight solutions to the world’s environmental challenges. The group is among five 2024 Earthshot Prize winners that will receive 1 million British pounds each to continue and expand their work. The British royal praised the winners at an awards ceremony on Wednesday in Cape Town, South Africa. The Altyn Dala group won the prize in the category for protecting and restoring nature. It has played a leading role in the recovery of the saiga antelope in recent years, marking a major conservation success in Central Asia that followed a devastating disease outbreak and fears that the species would become extinct. The prize is “the result of years of patient, collaborative and effective partnership between government & NGOs, saving a unique species and ecosystem,” Kathy Leach, Britain’s ambassador to Kazakhstan, said on X. This year, the Altyn Dala group was also involved in the transfer of several wild horses from European sanctuaries to the “Golden Steppe,” as the vast grasslands in Kazakhstan are known. The Przewalski’s horses is an endangered species that had been absent from the region for generations. Founded in 2005, Altyn Dala is a joint project involving Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Ecology & Natural Resources, the Association for the Conservation of Biodiversity of Kazakhstan, Fauna & Flora, the Frankfurt Zoological Society, and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. “Beyond Kazakhstan, due to the multiple problems facing temperate grasslands globally, Altyn Dala is collaborating with other major grassland initiatives in the Mongolian steppe, the American prairie, and Patagonian pampas regions,” Altyn Dala said in a statement. It said the prize would ensure that its own knowledge and experience would “benefit nature restoration across the globe.”

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Kazakhstan Develops Program to Revive Famous Aport Apple Variety

Kazakhstan's Ministry of Agriculture in cooperation with the National Agrarian Scientific and Educational Center have launched a program to revive the legendary Kazakh apple variety - aport. Aport is a capricious variety that requires special cultivation conditions. Quality apples can only be produced in orchards growing 850-1,250 meters above sea level. There are few such areas in the foothills of Almaty and the nearby region. Unlike other apple varieties, which begin to bear fruit in 4-6 years, aport needs 8-9 years to give a first harvest. Nevertheless, aport apples, distinguished by their large size, distinct smell, and succulent nature, are in great demand. The aport revival program, designed for 2024-2028, involves private investors and specialized nurseries. The program will grow the required number of saplings to begin the full-scale commercial cultivation of apple orchards. In the first stage, in 2024, the seeds of the Sievers apple tree were collected, and the development of national standards for growing Kazakhstan's aport began. In 2025, seedlings will be planted on ten hectares to become a mother garden supplying saplings for nurseries. During the next two years, it is planned to grow a sufficient number of saplings to plant an orchard on 100 hectares. Later, aport saplings will be offered to private gardeners for commercial cultivation. In 1970, there were 3.8 million aport trees in Kazakhstan, but by 1984, only 1.4 million remained. In 2012, scientific research began on the revival and rejuvenation of the variety, including establishing an experimental garden of aport grafted onto Sievers apple trees. In 2023, Kazakh scholars harvested the first large fruits weighing 400-500 g. Kazakhstan is the birthplace of apples — particularly the famous aport apples, which grow in the Almaty region. Translated from Kazakh, Almaty roughly means “place of abundance of apples.” One of Almaty's main landmarks, the first sight to greet visitors to Mount Kok-Tobe, which looms over the city, is a granite statue of an apple with water gushing from its core.

Central Asia Environment Tajikistan International Affairs International Affairs Tajikistan Tajikistan Business Economy Business & Economy

Tajikistan and ADB Sign Grant for Green Corridor Initiative

On November 1, Tajikistan's Ministry of Finance signed a grant agreement worth $86.6 million with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for a “Green Corridor Demonstration Project”. This project aims to reconstruct 49 kilometers of Tajikistan's Dangara-Gulistan highway, expand it to four lanes with a "Green Road" element, add 48.8 kilometers of bicycle lanes, and build two charging roads. The AIIB has approved a $75.5 million loan for Tajikistan to build a 920-meter bridge, connecting 350,000 people in the northeast to Dushanbe and regional towns and the border of Kyrgyzstan.

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Kazakhstan and China Begin Negotiations on Joint Use of Transboundary Rivers

On November 1, Kazakhstan’s Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Nurzhan Nurzhigitov met with Zhang Xiao, the Chinese Ambassador to Kazakhstan, to discuss bilateral water cooperation and the joint use and distribution of water from transboundary rivers. Three large rivers in Kazakhstan — the Ertis, the Ile, and the Emel — originate in China. The two countries established a special working group of experts to negotiate the provision of water to the Ile-Balkhash basin and develop fisheries and tourism in the region. The Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation of Kazakhstan intends to sign a memorandum of cooperation with the Ministry of Water Resources of China shortly. The Kazakh minister and Chinese ambassador discussed joint modernization and automation of Kazakhstan's water infrastructure, production and use of water-saving technologies, and advanced training of Kazakhstani water specialists in China. Late in August, The Times of Central Asia reported that the Kapchagay reservoir outside Almaty was full for the first time in ten years. The reservoir collects water from the Ile (or Ili) River, which originates in China and is meant to regulate the river's flow on its way to Kazakhstan’s largest lake, Balkhash.

Central Asia Uzbekistan Environment Environment Uzbekistan International Affairs Business & Economy Uzbekistan Business & Economy Uzbekistan International Affairs

EBRD and EU Support Solar Power Project in Uzbekistan

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is providing funds to construct a solar power plant in Uzbekistan’s Khorezm region. The EBRD’s financial package of up to $54.6 million (€50.5 million) will be provided to Sarimay Solar, a special-purpose company fully owned by Voltalia, an international energy producer and service provider based in France. The package will consist of a senior loan of up to $44.8 million (€41.5 million) and a special facility of €9 million, which will support Sarimay Solar during construction. The project will benefit from an unfunded guarantee covering a senior loan tranche of $7 million (€6.5 million) provided by the European Union’s European Fund for Sustainable Development Plus. The financing will help Sarimay Solar construct and operate a 100 MWac (126MWdc) greenfield solar photovoltaic plant, contributing to Uzbekistan’s aim of further decreasing its reliance on carbon-intensive thermal power generation and developing up to 25 GW of solar and wind capacity by 2030. Once operational, the plant is expected to generate up to 252 GWh of electricity yearly and reduce annual CO2 emissions by more than 141,000 tons. For the fourth year in a row, Uzbekistan has been the leading recipient of EBRD funding in Central Asia. The Bank has invested around €4.9 billion in 167 projects across the country, most of which support private entrepreneurship.