May 14, 2012

Uzbekistan to plant non-traditional oilseed crops in 2012

Uzbekistan will seed on 87,000 hectares of land non-traditional oilseed crops in 2012.

As the head of the Association of Food Industry Oybek Zufarov informed that soy is added to mahsaru and sunflower for two years now, which, after the grain harvest will accommodate on 10,000 hectares.

Since 2007, in order to fully utilise capacity of butter factories, the country expands the area under oilseeds of non-cotton origin by an average of 5%, he said. Fat and oil companies sign contracts with farmers, providing them with seeds and advance. The final payment is made after the harvest of oilseeds.

Projected in 2012 yield of oil from raw materials of non-cotton origin is 19,000 tonnes. The target parameters of the forecast production and export of basic food products in 2015 provided for an increase of non-conventional oil from oilseeds and 30,000 tonnes with an increase of 76.5% compared to 2011.

Currently, the Association of food industry has 34 enterprises specialising in the processing of technical cotton seeds and other oil seed crops and the development of oil and fat products. Forecast parameters provide for an increase of production of vegetable oils (including products from non-traditional crops) to 274,400 tonnes by 2015, an increase of 7.6% compared to 2011.

The Decree of the President of the Republic of October 31, 2011 "On measures to further improve the organisation of management and development of the food industry of the republic in 2012-15" approved an investment programme worth US$29.5 million. The programme updates oil and fat, meat, dairy and foodstuffs enterprises with advanced technologies of leading foreign firms, which will allow them to raise competitiveness to a new level.