2009 - “Year of Development and Improvement of Countryside. Extracts from the book by the President of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov “The global financial-economic crisis, ways and measures to overcome it in the conditions of Uzbekistan”

  “…..Our next most important priority, which asks for a special attention, is to take a broad complex of long-term and well interrelated measures aimed at radically improving the living standards in and look of a countryside, accelerated developing the social and production infrastructure, cardinally revising the status, role and importance of an owner, entrepreneurship and small business, and comprehensively supporting farms.

If to take into account that the State program of the “Year of Development and Improvement of Countryside”, which was approved in 2009, clearly defines the essence, content, the most important directions and specific parameters of this program buttressed by the sources of financing, obviously, there is no need today to dwell on these issues in detail.

Along with that, it should be underscored that both the priority and program on its implementation are designed not only for 2009 but for a mid-term prospect, as well.

Starting the implementation of this exclusively important State program, which envisages altering not only the look of the countryside and living standards of people, the depth of reforming, essence and core of production relations in agricultural sector, but eventually enhance the socio-political and cultural level of rural population, its consciousness and civil responsibility, our objective in 2009 is to well organize all our future work on its implementation.

I would like to highlight the following directions of the program, which are of a principle important significance for us.

First, it is necessary to carry out a thorough work to further enhance and strengthen the legislative and legal basis related to the implementation of the aforementioned program, adopt new and introduce amendments and addenda to existing legislative acts and Land code. To pay a special attention to the issues of development of social and production infrastructure in countryside, the issues which regulate the reasonable use of water resources and improvement of reclamation state of irrigated lands.

Second, implementation of the policy measures aimed at radically increasing the living standards in the countryside is of a principle importance and ultimate significance in the whole program. For this, it is necessary to cardinally review the system organization of architectural planning and building of rural residential areas. We need to ensure the elaboration of general plans for architectural-planning construction of territories, develop unified standards for rural houses and sites of social infrastructure with consideration of climatic, demographic and other conditions of the regions.

The specialized design and survey institute of “Kishlokkurilishloyiha” has been established to implement these tasks. We need to accelerate its development and fill with the skilled cadres, set the clear and specific tasks before it so that this year we would be able to start working on the new architectural general plans and standard designs.

It is obvious that the new construction is unthinkable without applying new, modern construction materials and building structures. It is essential to broader introduce the industrial and prefabricated building technologies to the countryside while using the prefabricated, composite and building block structures.

In the countryside we must have not only the developed communities and modern residential houses, but also the high quality roads, no-break power and drinking water supply, developed network of social facilities such as rural medical centers, schools, children’s sport facilities, telecommunications and postal service, as well as other services and trading facilities, etc.

It is essential to once again critically assess and find additional funds and means to broaden the infrastructure in the countryside. At the same time, we should not forget that this is one of the factors of increasing the employment in the rural area, especially among the youth.

To implement the set measures, apparently, it is expedient to examine the issue of establishing a specialized bank for rural construction with a network of regional branches.

Third, the key task of the program is to take measures on accelerated development of industrial production and building in the countryside, setting up compact plants on processing fruits and vegetables, livestock products equipped with modern techniques and technologies.

The task is set even broader, that is to say, by way of increasing the production of agricultural products to create a powerful raw basis and allow for an effective operational space for establishing new and modern processing plants in the countryside equipped with compact technologies. Such productions must be set up in every province, district and village. We must clearly understand that this is not only about the new volumes of production and growth of GDP but this is, above all, the growth of the food production which always enjoys a sustainable demand and this demand, I am confident, will rise in the future.

Most importantly, by establishing the processing plants we address the employment of youth, firstly, in the countryside where there is always a big demand for jobs.

Fourth, the special attention must be paid to consistent implementation of the system of measures on improving reclamation state of lands stipulated by the State Program for Improvement of Reclamation of Irrigated Lands for 2008-2012, providing proper technical conditions of operating irrigation and reclamation facilities, enhancing material and technical basis of specialized water, building and utilities agencies, equipping them with modern techniques…”