ASHGABAT (TCA) — At the session of Turkmenistan’s Government on February 1, President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov spoke about the outcomes of 2018 and outlined priority objectives of the country in the current year, the Newspaper “Golden Age” reported.
The President said that last year, the country managed to complete almost all plans. The growth rate of GDP was 6.2 percent last year, and exports to foreign countries exceeded 11.2 US dollars.
A total of 1,704 facilities to the amount of around 10 billion US dollars were built and put into operation in 2018.
Having noted that the current year will be held under the slogan “Turkmenistan – Home of Prosperity”, the head of state dwelt on the main objectives.
The Turkmen leader highlighted that Turkmenistan’s chairmanship of the Commonwealth of Independent States has to be held on the highest level as well as the events related to the initiatives on energy security, transit and transport corridors, water diplomacy and other directions supported by the UN have to be organized.
We have to reduce the dependence of the internal market from the export, to accelerate the digitization of the economy, and to pursue an investment attraction policy, the President said.
He also said that establishment of innovative production facilities in the oil and gas industry and processing of hydrocarbon resources is among the main directions. Expansion of export capabilities by diversification is very important for the national economy, he added.
The President said that it is necessary to carry out all planned construction works of Turkmenistan – Afghanistan – Pakistan – India (TAPI) gas pipeline at high speed and with high quality.
In the agricultural sector, the President said it is necessary to reallocate arable lands depending on the crops that would be sown on these lands. “We have to produce 1,600,000 tons of wheat and 1,050,000 tons of raw cotton this year. In the next year, the volume of produced wheat has to be 1,400,000 tons while production of cotton for new fabrics and for export has to reach 1,250,000 tons.”
It is also necessary to increase the volumes of livestock production, fruits, grapes and vegetables. Unprofitable farming associations have to be given to long-term lease to farmers and leaseholders, the President said.
It is important to use wisely the capabilities of transport and transit corridors, their connection to international logistic and trade systems. It is also necessary to continue developing the North–South and Turkmenistan–Afghanistan railroads, the President said.
