Belarus, Uzbekistan work to set up joint genetic breeding center

«Close attention is paid to animal breeding in Uzbekistan. Significant financial resources are invested in the industry, systemic state support is provided, foreign investments are attracted. Given that about 90% of cattle are kept in private farms, setting up a joint genetic breeding center in Uzbekistan is viewed as a good opportunity to deepen the Belarusian-Uzbek cooperation in breeding,» the diplomat said. According to him, the center will help not only simplify the process of acquisition of Belarusian breeding livestock but also introduce Belarusian technologies, expand the supply of pedigree products and eventually increase the productivity of the livestock. «Work on the project is already underway, but it is very slow,» the ambassador added, BelTA reports.

Uzbekistan buys breeding stock abroad in significant volumes, Leonid Marinich said. In 2019, Uzbekistan's imports of cattle amounted to $122.5 million and doubled compared to 2018, including 211 heads of cattle worth $372,400 being supplied from Belarus. «Unfortunately, the figures are not encouraging - we say more than we do. Here the ‘buy and sell' mechanism does not work. In my opinion, all joint work should be aimed at the final result, at high efficiency of the whole project, and not at the benefit of its separate parts,» the head of the diplomatic mission said.

According to the ambassador, Uzbekistan has taken a course on enlargement of farms, development of new commercial dairy farms and production of meat and dairy products. In his words, private farms dominate the total agricultural output there. According to statistics, 88.2% of total agricultural output comes from such farms, 7.6% from larger farms and 4.2% from agricultural organizations. In Belarus, almost 80% of the total agricultural output is produced by large agricultural organizations: agro-industrial complexes, holding companies, and joint ventures, 17.5% by private farms and 2.7% by farmers. «The trend of transition to large-scale agricultural production in Uzbekistan can be justified both in terms of ensuring food security and increasing the volume of its production and improving quality. Belarus, in turn, having achieved significant results in this area, is ready to share its experience in developing and operating large-scale production, processing crop and livestock products,» Leonid Marinich said.

The ambassador believes that cooperation plays a major role in further interaction to create new jobs, transfer technology, and renew enterprises' fixed assets. «It is important to provide a partner with a full range of goods and services. For example, a commercial dairy farm needs necessary equipment, design and building services, the basic herd, personnel training and improvement of their qualification, scientific and technological support. Such complex approach should become a basis for realization of joint agricultural projects in our countries,» the ambassador said.