Ferghana region and Belarus' Bellesexport explore cotton stalk biochar and green energy project

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — The Ferghana regional administration is exploring a novel agricultural waste-to-energy investment project with the Belarusian state forestry export enterprise "BELLESEXPORT" to process cotton stalks into biochar and generate clean thermal and electrical energy.

The green technology framework was negotiated on the sidelines of the Third Forum of Regions of Uzbekistan and Belarus in Minsk during a working session between the Governor (Khokim) of the Ferghana region, Khayrullo Bozorov, and a Belarusian delegation led by Sergey Matyulin, the Deputy Head of BELLESEXPORT.

The central axis of the talks focused on commercial solutions to utilize cotton stalks—locally known as guza-paya—as a primary raw material for high-value manufacturing. Uzbekistan's expansive cotton cultivation infrastructure yields millions of tons of fibrous plant residue annually, which is traditionally burned or underutilized, presenting an abundant, low-cost biomass source for renewable energy applications.

Under the proposed technical framework, the raw agricultural waste will undergo controlled pyrolysis to yield biochar (biomaterial charcoal), a highly stable carbon product used extensively in eco-friendly farming to enrich soil moisture, lock in nutrients, and sequester carbon emissions. Concurrently, the thermal gases and energy generated during the conversion process will be captured to feed regional heat grids and produce localized electricity.

Governor Bozorov highlighted Ferghana's substantial raw material reserves and operational readiness to pilot the circular economy model. He confirmed that the regional administration is prepared to allocate land, grant regulatory preferences, and establish optimal conditions to streamline foreign investment inflows and launch industrial production.

Concluding the meeting, the two parties mapped out immediate follow-up parameters to conduct comprehensive technical and economic feasibility assessments.

Operating under the Ministry of Forestry of the Republic of Belarus, BELLESEXPORT is an export-manufacturing corporation specialized in deploying timber processing technologies, managing international forestry commerce, and engineering bio-energy solutions on foreign markets.