Uzbekistan has approved a new system to subsidize farmers who adopt water-saving irrigation technologies, as part of efforts to increase efficient water use in agriculture and reduce resource pressure. According to the Ministry of Justice, a government resolution adopted on April 28 defines procedures for partially reimbursing the costs of introducing such systems. The subsidy will be provided from the state budget and granted only once for each land plot where the technology is implemented, regardless of the type of crop or irrigation method used. Farmers who invest their own funds will receive 50% of the calculated subsidy amount in advance based on established criteria.
To qualify for support, applicants must register their land plots and crop types in the Agroportal system and submit an electronic application through the platform. Supporting documents include a contract with a contractor listed in the “Tomchi-reyestr” (Drip Registry), project documentation, and a completion certificate confirming that installation work has been finalized. The application must also include detailed information on the location and boundaries of the land plots. The initiative follows policy directions announced during a presidential meeting in February, which set ambitious targets for expanding water-efficient agriculture. By 2028, Uzbekistan plans to install water-saving technologies on 930,000 hectares of land, increasing the total area equipped with such systems to 3.5 million hectares — about 80% of all irrigated land in the country.
