ENTREPRENEURS MAKE A SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTION TO AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION

Ahead of the Harvest Festival, farmers are carefully evaluating the outcomes of the agricultural year. According to the Union of Entrepreneurs and Industrialists of Turkmenistan, private farmers and entrepreneurs constitute a considerable proportion of domestic food production.

In 2020, private producers have grown some 30, 000 tons of tomatoes (a fourfold increase from last year’s production), and record high yields of potatoes and onions – some 37, 000 tons and 13, 000 tons respectively. This year has seen a severalfold rise in production of cucurbits, fruits, berries, vegetables and legumes.

Turkmen entrepreneurs are making every effort to boost agri-production by cultivating new irrigated farmland, sowing more crops, planting fruit trees and grape vines, and expanding the area under greenhouse cultivation. This makes it possible to keep the domestic market well supplied as well as to expand exports. In particular, agricultural products (mostly cucurbits, grapes and apples) worth more than US $19 million were exported to the Russian Federation and CIS countries in the running year’s January-October period. Apart from that, entrepreneurs boosted the production of confectionery and food products several times.

In 2020, Turkmenistan has increased its exports of tomatoes to 16, 700 tons. Many producers now practice protected cultivation of tomatoes all year round, using modern high-tech equipment and innovative growing methods. 100-plus greenhouses with a total area of 356-plus hectares are operated by individual entrepreneurs throughout the country. As many as 150 greenhouses with an area of 1,300 hectares are expected to be built next year. This will allow growing tens of thousands of tons of vegetables, citrus fruits, fruits and berries. Thus, not only will private growers maintain a plentiful supply of the agricultural produce to domestic consumers, making a significant contribution to our country’s food security, but they will also increase its export potential.

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