Potato prices soar in Kashkadaryo and Surxondaryo
Potato prices in Uzbekistan’s Kashkadarya and Surkhandarya regions have spiked by up to 12.4% following significant delays in the seasonal planting schedule. Although the government allocated 180,000 hectares to meet domestic demand, these specific regions have completed less than 45% of their planting targets, leading to market instability. President Shavkat Mirziyoyev criticized local officials for the slow progress, asserting that ample resources and funding are available to ensure food security. The President emphasized that there should be no supply issues for essential goods like potatoes and meat, calling for increased accountability among regional leadership.
In Uzbekistan, 180,000 hectares were planned to be allocated this year to fully cover the domestic demand for potatoes. To date, planting work has been completed on 118,000 hectares of these areas. However, in some regions, the indicators in this regard remain significantly lower than expected.
Specifically, only 41 percent of the planned areas have been planted with potatoes in Kashkadaryo region, and 44 percent in Surxondaryo region. The delay in planting has also negatively affected market prices. In March alone, potato prices rose by 12.4 percent in Surxondaryo and by 9 percent in Kashkadaryo.
Work was also found to be unsatisfactory in Khojaobod, Andijan, Kosonsoy, Chortoq, Chust, Yangikurgan, Toshlok, and Fergana districts, which specialize in potato cultivation. Instructions were given to increase the responsibility of regional governors' deputies for agriculture and district governors who have shown negligence.
President Shavkat Mirziyoyev touched upon the issue of food security, emphasizing the availability of all resources. 'I repeat: there is money, there are resources. There should be no issues with meat and potatoes,' the head of state noted.
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